Luke 24:9-11 NLT
'So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples – and...told the apostles what had happened. But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it.'
Like the male disciples, I am sure I would have dismissed the women’s tale. Like the disciples, Jesus confronts my denial through personal encounter. The Easter message proclaims that we can encounter the risen Christ today.
Christianity is not a series of beliefs, it is a relationship with God that we are freely invited to benefit from. We may encounter Jesus in every situation we face, if we first accept that he has risen from the dead. Of course, if we seek to establish this upon the basis of material proof alone, we shall be forever seeking and never finding. While there is a rational case to be made for the resurrection, its reality demands faith; that is moving beyond rationality.
I have been happily married twice. My first wife died and I subsequently remarried. While I can describe a list of objective realities that describe the nature of our marriage, they cannot convey the character of the love we have for each other. In one way, they may be presented as evidence of love. Yet, equally they are simply a list of what any people living together might do to ensure for a smooth-running house and to enable each to go about their daily life with as little friction as possible. Even sex is no guarantor of love.
The only way we know we love each other comes from the unique encounter we have with each other’s essence. Only I engage with Jayne at this level, while others observe and interact with her qualities never entering into the depth of love encounter I enjoy. So with Jesus. There are facts that support the Christian profession, yet only faith can carry me towards an encounter with God. Like the disciples, I discover that encounter slowly carries me from disbelief to belief.
QUESTION: How have you encountered God over this past week?
PRAYER: Living Lord Jesus, may I experience your fresh presence walking alongside me today.

Released on 14 Apr 2020