Tag: The resurrection

Too Good Not to Share

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It’s common to get to the other side of a major event and wonder a bit about what we are supposed to do now. Easter is kind of like that. There’s all this build up and then…what now? What are we supposed to do in light of this incredible news that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day? As we wrap up our journey through Luke’s Passion Narrative, we are going to be talking about that very thing because that’s the very thing we find Jesus pointing the disciples to in the final conversation Luke records them having. Let’s take a look together at the “now what” of Easter.

Too Good Not to Share (Luke 24:36-53)
April 12, 2026 

Can I meddle just a bit this morning? Most college basketball observers figured that Duke was going to be the National Champion this season. But they didn’t. They actually wound up only making it to the Elite Eight. This is because UConn–who, of course, wound up getting smashed by Michigan in the championship this past Monday—had one of the most incredible, last-second, upset wins of the season. With just four seconds to go, Duke had a 2-point lead and the ball. All they had to do was inbounds the ball and hold it. But instead, a freshman UConn player intercepted an attempted pass at halfcourt. With time quickly ticking away, he frantically passed it to a teammate closer to the basket, but unable to do anything, he threw it back, and from near the halfcourt line, with under a second to go, this freshman threw up a prayer. The whole thing felt like one of those slow-motion moments at the climax of a sports movie even though, again, the whole thing played out in less than five seconds. With just four-tenths of a second remaining on the clock, the ball swished through the hoop and the game was essentially over. 

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Seeing What’s True

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Yesterday was Resurrection Sunday! I hope you were able to celebrate with joy and gladness with fellow brothers and sisters in the church. I hope you were able to give some time to reflecting on the incredible news that Jesus is alive. In this second-to-last part of our series, we are talking about the topic du jour. When Jesus’ followers started learning of the incredible news of His resurrection, they were slow to believe it. It took Jesus’ helping them to finally see them come around to it. The same is true of us today. Let’s explore how together as we talk about seeing what’s true.

Seeing What’s True

Did you ever have one of those Magic Eye books when you were a kid? We only ever had one, but I remember looking through it all the time. Could you ever actually see what was hidden in those strange images? For the longest time, I never could. I would look from every angle and try every trick, I’d try every strategy that was supposed to work, but nothing ever made a difference. Then I finally learned the secret that started working for me pretty consistently. You have to cross your eyes and slowly uncross them. Once I learned that, I was good to go. 

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Digging in Deeper: Philippians 3:10-11

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“My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

What is it that matters most in the end? We can offer up all sorts of different answers to that question. Various folks have pointed to money or possessions in one way or another. Most people, though, generally have a sense that isn’t the right answer. We could also point to things like relationships, good works, or renown. Here, as Paul is talking about what matters most to him, he points to something we don’t think about—even as followers of Jesus—but which should fall a whole lot more centrally on our radar. Let’s take a look at what he has to say.

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Digging in Deeper: Mark 16:5-8

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“When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side; they were alarmed. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he told them. ‘You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they put him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, “He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see him there just as he told you.”’ They went out and ran from the tomb,  because trembling and astonishment overwhelmed them. And they said nothing to anyone, since they were afraid.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Most streaming services aim to have at least one series that defines them. Hopefully they manage to land more than one, but they want—they need—to have something that proves to be enough of a cultural phenomenon that subscribers will sign up for the service just to be able to watch that. For Netflix, that series is indisputably Stranger Things. After much hype and anticipation, the final season is out in total, I’ve finished watching it, and we’re going to talk about it.

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The Reason Why

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It all comes down to this. The whole of the Christian faith hangs on a single peg: the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Today, as we celebrate our risen Savior and wrap up our series, All Signs Point to Jesus, we are talking about the resurrection, what it means, and why it matters so much. Let’s dive right in!

The Reason Why

When you live in a houseful of boys (including the turtle), you build stuff. It’s just what you do. I’ve long since lost count of the number of Lego sets that have been built in my house, but that is far from the only construction medium our boys have used. We went through a season when they were really into Keva blocks. The name sounds fancy, but they’re basically over-sized Jenga blocks that you can use to build all sorts of things. Because of their shape and size, though, while you can build some pretty elaborate creations, most of them wind up sitting on a really tiny foundation point. In fact, for most of the coolest things we built, there was usually a single block or maybe two that was holding up the whole thing. If you were to take out that one point, the whole structure would noisily collapse in a great heap. Well, while Christianity is a bit sturdier of a structure than anything we ever built with Keva blocks, it nonetheless rests on a single foundation point. This morning, I want to talk with you about what that is and why it matters. 

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