Easter invites you to see the risen Jesus and join his kingdom. As I read the scripture text for today I want you to pay particular attention to all the seeing that happens. You will hear in particular two words, look and see. On Easter morning people were looking for the crucified Jesus but they get the opportunity see the risen Jesus, now they must decide what to believe and what to do.

The story of the triumphal entry asks us to put aside our demands and expectations of Jesus and asks us to see and receive Jesus for the King and Savior he is.

Your greatest calling is to love one another with the love of Jesus that is sacrificial and redemptive.

You must be wary of guilt and shame, more than any emotion they have the power to drive you away from God and the people you love, but they also can alert you to the need to repair your relationship before its too late.

Biblical grief draws you into the presence of God and invites you to depend upon God. Biblical grief opens your eyes to the good gifts of God. Biblical grief does not ask you to forget those you love, but Biblical grief gives you a way forward, to live, to be blessed even after loss.

When it comes to anger You have a choice: Let your anger be a destructive force bringing out the worst in you, or strive for godly anger that is born out of love seeking the best for others by rescuing, protecting and building them up.

Fear is a terrible master that robs your life, however fear is meant to point you to God and deepen your faith.

If you want to taste forgiveness and the life it brings you need to submit to Jesus. God calls you to put off your old self, to renew your mind and then to put on Christ. Only then can you be a person marked by forgiveness. A person who is renewed by both receiving and giving forgiveness.

Barriers to forgiveness choke relationships and threaten the joy of life. These barriers must be addressed directly, judiciously and without delay. The good news is many of these barriers are in your control, the bad news is that some of them can only be addressed by the other and the best news is that God has handled the barriers that are impossible for you and me.

Real forgiveness is biblical, cross shaped, it identifies the truth of the matter, views the wrong doer with empathy, cancels the debt and seeks reconciliation.