1 Thing Matters

We want to make a difference. We want to serve a purpose. Without purpose, life seems meaningless, and we can feel as if we’re just in the way and taking up space. But purpose can breathe life into us, make us alive, and rekindle a passion from within. At Jesus’ ascension, he did not leave us because he was fed up, but rather to fill us up with purpose - his purpose! So we now have meaning. We now have a mission - his.

“This, too, shall pass.” There is a measure of comfort in knowing that seasons of grief will eventually pass. However, that comfort can be rather short-lived when we are suddenly slammed with the next unexpected wave of grief. How do we process grief then? Do we begin to just accept the miserable reality that joy will always elude us and that perennial grief is our lot in life? It doesn’t have to be that way. Jesus made sure of it.

We love love. We love being in love and even love the idea of being in love. We love certain foods, clothes, celebrities, music, cars, teams, etc. - we could go on and on listing all the things we love.

Is it possible, though, that our “love” for so much has watered down its meaning? More importantly, has our own love become watered down and meaningless? It might appear so as we consider how we see people treat one other in the world today. The question is… are we part of the problem? If so, how do we address it?

It could result in serious injury or death for a rock climber. It would dock the figure skater’s score. Falling can have disastrous consequences. But falling from faith would be even more devastating. Should you be concerned? Should you be worried about losing your faith? Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has an answer for you. Listen to him, just as sheep listen to the voice of their shepherd. His words will drive away your despair. His words will not disappoint.

We all fail. We all are well aware of our failures, and if we’re not, others will all too often remind us of them! But failings and failures from our past do not define us. We are not failures simply because we have failed in the past. How do we know? Because there is something greater that defines us, something far superior to any failure: a Christ who never failed. Christ’s resurrection is the proof that he has erased our failures and is the assurance of our victory.

Easter Sunday has come and gone, the grind continues, and life goes on. If Jesus’ resurrection is such a big deal, why does it feel as if not much has changed? Struggles have not disappeared for us as Christians. We still come under fire for our faith. God’s people all over the world are suffering for the Savior’s sake, and we are not immune to it. Does Easter really matter that much?

It does! Jesus’ victory is our victory! Suffering has met its match at the empty tomb and its hold on us is temporary. Our victory in Christ, though, is forever!

Defeated. It’s one thing to experience it when your team is on the losing end of the big game. It’s another to feel it consistently in life. When the hits keep coming, one after the other, when life takes this turn then that turn, it all takes the wind out of our sails. We feel defeated.

But we aren’t alone. We aren’t the first and we won’t be the last to experience feelings of defeat. So the question isn’t, “Who else knows what this feels like?” - we all do; rather, the question is, “How are we going to respond?” On this Easter Sunday, we turn to several defeated disciples for direction on how to face defeat.

The events of Palm Sunday might not seem pivotal to our salvation. Christ sheds no blood on this day. However, Palm Sunday sets the tone for all of Holy Week. It perfectly illustrates that Jesus came to be the kind of king this world will never understand: one who conquers his enemies by surrendering to them, one who crushes his opposition by himself being crushed, one whose path to kingly exaltation begins with humiliation. This is the kind of King we have marching into battle as one of us and for all of us this week. As a result, we are drawn to him in faith rather than driven away in fear. This humble King is our only hope.

HOLY WEEK

"Holiday" is simply short for "holy day." Throughout the course of a year, there are certain days we set apart as special: to commemorate extraordinary events, to celebrate influential individuals. While there are many holy days, there is but one holy week. The final week of Lent marks the most pivotal week in human history. In the four gospels—biographies of Jesus Christ's thirty-three-year life—this single week consumes nearly a third of the ink. The Holy Spirit considered the events of this week that important.

On a holy day, the relentless march of time slows down. We set aside our usual routines to call attention to whatever or whoever makes that day special. Likewise, believers slow down this entire week to ponder all that Christ did for them, from his humble entrance into Jerusalem... to his sacrificial death on the cross... to the victory of Easter morning.

Athletes, authors, and academics all have something in common: they’ve all been rejected. We all have. While no one enjoys it, rejection is something we’ve all experienced in multiple ways throughout our lives. Rejection can be crushing. Yet, there is one who has faced it more than anyone else. How did he handle it? Thankfully, in a way that we never could.

"The Lord saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18).

Judgment is all around us. We judge others. They judge us. We judge ourselves. Along with so much judgment - justified or not - comes the crushing weight of condemnation. How do we deal with such a heavy burden? How do we remove it? We don’t. Grace does, and no burden of condemnation is ever so heavy that it can’t be lifted by grace.

"The Lord saves those who are crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18).