But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said." - Matthew 28:6
This past Sunday, our pastor quoted an excerpt from the Chronicles of Narnia. It ended with Lucy asking, "But what does it all mean?" And as he read through it, my heart was excited. It's the excitement of seriously one of my favorite books, and the excitement of knowing what it was that C.S. Lewis was trying to portray. I can't imagine having been there and to have heard the angel's words spoken from Matthew. I like being here in the world's timeline, and to look back and see the whole story and now see what it all means. As I am reading through the book of John, I am so aware of how grateful I am to have the words of God in my hand. I get to see how God's plan unfolds and how his purposes were fulfilled. It is really exciting, because it's not a fairy tale. This is real life. There is purposeful meaning to our lives. The death of Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, was necessary for me to be made right before a perfect God. And his resurrection was necessary to prove his power has conquered all (ALL) my sin and death. "He has risen." He is alive. He is still working, working a ton in my heart, every day helping me fight the good fight. Being a mom has made me more chronically aware of my weaknesses and the selfish desires of my heart. And being in Christ, bought by the precious blood, has made me more aware of his forgiveness and the unending grace and strength he gives to sustain and help me (and my kids). His love is deep. It went really far for me. Yet, it goes further still because this isn't even the end of the story, because the happy ending is yet to come! (I wish I had the movie to watch that ending!)
"Grace and peace, oh how can this be
The matchless King of all
Paid the blood price for me
Slaughtered lamb, what atonement You bring!
The vilest sinner's heart
Can be cleansed can be free
Oh, what an amazing mystery
What an amazing mystery
That Your grace has come to me."
