Independence Day

Have you thought about it much this week?  I know it’s a strange question… but have you?

The sun is actually warming the earth, lawns are growing, road crews are patching giant potholes left by a particularly brutal winter, and elbows hang roomily out open car windows...  it’s easy to get distracted.  

Its madness, its love, its fat, red-bellied robins and evening rain…  and it’s the Great Prince of Peace freely surrendering His life in poverty, shame, and rejection so that all of mankind would be redeemed from death, hell and the grave.   Have you considered that we are just days away from celebrating the greatest event in human history?

Just think, Christ Jesus: 

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to death-even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5)

This moment in time gives us the ability to say, “I am powerless, but there is a power-Praise be to God!!- there is a power who can restore me!”

“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.  But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.”  (Colossians 1:19-22)

Free from accusation, free from sin, free from death…      free.

Happy Easter everyone.  Happy Independence Day!

John e