River City Church - Smyrna, GA
Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
Josh looks at the Easter story from the Gospel of John. We come to the Easter story often to celebrate what God has done, but that's not the end. Mary Magdalene came to the tomb to mourn and when the tomb was empty, she wanted to find the Jesus she knew. But that Jesus wasn't there. There's a version of Jesus that may need to die in our own lives, so that the One who formed us can speak our name in our darkness and whisper, "I see you" and reveal to us the new thing that He wants to do in and through us. The worship journey for this week: "Resurrection isn't just a reunion but an invitation into God making all things new."
Josh shared a couple of quotes this week: (1) Nancy Pittman -- "Scholars often remind us that the resurrection narratives are really commissioning stories, sending believers into the world to tell all that death is not the last word. Otherwise, no one would ever know what happened, and Easter would be just a reunion story with tears and hugs all around. However, Mary obeys the risen Jesus, fighting her impulse to cling to a familiar body, and leaves the garden to tell what she knows to be true. An expected ending is now a beginning - of telling the truth about life to those who want only to deal in death, of offering living water and the bread of life to those who want only to buy and sell commodities that perish. Mary speaks, and in her speaking we find our own voice."
(2) C.S. Lewis (from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) -- "Aslan is a lion -- the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he -- quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion." ... "Safe?" said Mr. Beaver. ... "Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."
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