Easter Changes What You Pray For (Easter 7)

There are certain events that stick in one’s mind. Events that when they occur, change everything. You remember not only everything that happened, but how that event changed the rest of your life.

Now as then, our risen and ascended Lord Jesus prays for Spirit-inspired unity between the Father and his church. We too pray that we may have unity, that we may be one, as brothers and sisters who live in harmony, as servants gathered to worship Him, as disciples who follow Him always. Then, with much anticipation, we look for the coming of the Holy Spirit, confidently living a new life of faith in our ascended Lord.

Easter Changes Everything - It Changes How You View Death

There are certain events that stick in one’s mind. Events that when they occur, change everything. You remember not only everything that happened, but how that event changed the rest of your life.  One of those big, life-changing events is the death of a friend or loved one. Suddenly, many things in life change.

Easter too is one of those events. As we have heard since Easter, it is an event that changed everything. The very nature of Easter changes even how we view and face death. Today, on Good Shepherd Sunday God’s Word shows us our Shepherd, Jesus, who leads his flock to safe pastures and his eternal fold. We see how our Savior’s victory over death changes how we face death.

Easter Changes Everything - It Changes How You Live Life (Easter 3)

There are certain events that stick in one’s mind. Events that when they occur, change everything. You remember not only everything that happened, but how that event changed the rest of your life.  One of those big, life-changing events is the birth of a child. Suddenly, diapers aren’t the only things being changed—priorities change, schedules changes, family life changes.

Easter too is one of those events. As we have heard on Easter, it is an event that changed everything. Today, we watch as the risen Lord appears in power to Saul on the road to Damascus. The risen Lord changes Saul’s heart in such a profound way that Saul turns from persecutor of the church to its greatest missionary. In the same way the light of our Risen Savior has shined in the darkness of our sin-filled hearts. Though we still feebly struggle with sin and are not "worthy" to even approach God’s presence, Christ gathers us to constantly receive the forgiveness of our sins. Jesus’ Easter victory changes us, our hearts, our lives—so much so that it changes our priorities in life, it changes what we see as important, it changes how we live life. 

Easter Changes Everything - It Changes How We Speak (Easter 2)

Final preparation to be the risen Christ’s witnesses begins with sight. The apostles were blessed with visibly seeing the risen Lord. Overcoming their doubts by the power of the Spirit, they would boldly proclaim the new life to be found in the Living One. Blessed to see through eyes of faith, the vision of the First and the Last fills our hearts with this confidence: “Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again.”

Christ Is Risen! - Easter Sunday - The Resurrection of our Lord

There are certain events that stick in one’s mind. Events that when they occur, change everything. You remember not only everything that happened, but how that event changed the rest of your life. The birth of a child, the dream job offer, the death of a loved one. Easter is one of those events. It is so much more than chocolate bunnies and colorful eggs. It is an event that changed everything.

Connected by grace, through faith, to our risen Lord, we rejoice in the victory of the resurrection and in full confidence of our own resurrection from the dead.