Christian Reflection and Prayer

It’s Easter! It’s Easter! Christ lives once again!

It’s Easter! It’s Easter! Christ lives once again!

It’s Easter! It’s Easter! God’s loudest “Amen!”

We sing “Hallelujah,” we sing “Praise the Lord,”

Who raised up our Jesus and spoke the last word.

After the night comes the morning, and the world
comes alive. There is no more beautiful story in
all of history than the account of the empty tomb.
It is unbelievable but true!

It is a historical fact that Jesus Christ lived on earth
for a given period of time. His ministry and death are
recorded by historians as facts. It is also a historica
l fact that Muhammad was a religious leader whose
followers are Muslims. And if you visit the Topkapi
Palace Museum in Istanbul, there you will see a
carefully displayed tooth of Muhammad. The Muslims
are very proud of that artifact. It is a piece of their
prophet. They have tangible proof that Muhammad
lived and died.

But Christians have no such shrine. Not a tooth,
not a bone, not a single cell of Christ’s body to
display—only the empty tomb. Those who follow
Muhammad know that he is dead. But we who
worship Jesus Christ know that our Lord is alive.

Because of the resurrection there is an open door
to heaven and eternal life with our Lord and Savior,
and because he lives, we who believe shall live
eternally with him.

The four gospels record at least ten appearances
of Jesus Christ in the forty days after his resurrection
Over 500 people saw him. The risen Lord showed
them his pierced hands and feet. They had proof that
Jesus Christ was alive. Then and there was released
the mightiest power in human history, and today,
nearly 2,000 years later, the same power of the risen
Lord is alive around the world in countless numbers
of believers.

Let us who call ourselves Christians—followers of
Jesus Christ—rise up and roll away the stones of
doubt and fear and proclaim that Jesus Christ, our
risen Savior, lives!

Hallelujah!

Reprinted from the Church Herald, March 2002. Copyright
© 2002 by the Church Herald Inc.

Scripture:

"For God so loved the world he gave His only
begotten Son that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish but have everlasting life. God
sent not His Son into the world to judge the
world but that the world through Him might be
saved." (John 3:16,17)

Reflection:

Do we realize what God has done for us? This
is the question I ask myself during my celebration
of the death and resurrection of my Savior Jesus
Christ. You know I don't think we do. We cannot
come anywhere near comprehending the sacrifice
and total love God gave to us when He sent His
Son into this world to live, to die, and to rise from
the grave. Now get this! He gave us His only Son
so that we shall never die, that's right never die....
eternal life. How do we get this eternal life? Can
we buy it? NO, Can we trade for it? NO, Can we work
to attain it? NO. It's free all we have to do is believe,
that's right... believe. It's called faith my friends,
accept Jesus Christ into your life, accept Him into
your heart into your very soul. He's there knocking
at the door let Him in. I know I have and boy has
my life changed. Suddenly I feel fulfilled, I'm no
longer alone because He is with me. I see the
world differently, I see my friends and neighbors
differently, I see my enemies differently. My heart
is filled with the peace and love of Jesus Christ. Now
let me stop here for a minute, I'm not trying to put one
over on you, my life is not always rosy. I have my
problems, loving Christ hasn't changed that. But
now I can deal with my problems, I can even grow
from my problems because...I believe. You see God
sent His Son into this world not to judge us but to
save us. To me that is what Resurrection Sunday
(Easter) is all about. It's about newness, its about
changing your life, its about joy, It's about faith, It's
about love. The final question is this DO YOU BELIEVE?

Prayer:

I would like to share the resurrection prayer with you.

Resurrection Prayer

O Risen Lord,
the way, the truth and the life,
make us faithful followers
of the spirit of your resurrection.
Grant that we may be inwardly
renewed; dying to ourselves
in order that you may live in us.
May our lives serve as signs
of the transforming power of your love
Use us as your instruments
for the renewal of society,
bring your life and love to all
and leading them to your Church.
This we ask of you, Lord Jesus,
living and reigning with the Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God forever. Amen

Perhaps the invisible shield we hang over our
children is made up of the values we instill in
them, our desperate caring, our prayer for their
safety. So we turn to prayer—for our children
and maybe just as much for ourselves. We
join our concern with God’s—the divine parent
who loves them even more than we do.

We do not pray for our children in some wishful
way, superstitiously trying to prevent all harm.
Instead we take an active stance that recognizes
our human limitations at the same time it bows
before God’s power. “I will do everything I can
to keep them safe,” we say. “But I’m imperfect.
I call on you, great God and loving parent, to
protect them when I cannot.”

We ask for an avalanche of blessings, all the
best God has in store for them.

- Kathy Coffey
Christian, appropriate for many faiths
source: “God Knows Parenting Is a Wild Ride”
(Sorin Books), © 2002 Kathy Coffey