Simple Belief - June 5, 2009

Good Friday morning! Pastor Rogers did have some great stories eh? I always like this one about the executive, and yes, there might be something personal in that. Sometimes we do like to hear stories about the high and mighty falling on their backsides. So why is it that we don't feel the same about Jesus' fall in Jerusalem? Simple... we believe in Him. To the world, or those who will not believe that Jesus is the risen Son of God, the story of His trial and execution is just another of those mighty-have-fallen stories that are so entertaining. The eyewitness accounts of his resurrection are of course discounted in the hearts of those who do not believe in the first place. I've been there. It's too easy to come up with theories about how "they just thought he was dead" or that the people back then were "simple". However, these theories that come to mind are unfair to people we don't know and didn't live with. Knowledge has increased in our time, just as the Bible foretold, but that doesn't make people in the past slow or stupid. The choice is still the same as it was then; you and I can choose to believe in Jesus or we can refuse and cling to the world. 

Almost any of us can witness to one another in how injuries often get worse before we heal and get better. Even a simple exercise program will make us feel worse just after we start it. Jesus rose on the third day, but his body only had about a day and half of resting/healing time before he was up and about on that Sunday morning. We all know that isn't enough time to heal from the severe injuries his body experienced. Yet, there he was surprising Mary Magdalene, popping in on the disciples in the locked room, and being seen by several hundred people. Something special happened then, and while we may not be able to explain the mechanics of that event, we believe in our risen Lord. Raising and healing such a terribly injured body to new life is beyond anything we think we know in science, philosophy, or technology. Believing in the risen Jesus sets us apart from the world. After all, what the world cannot explain in its vast knowledge, the world tends to discount as myth or superstition. 

I believe that Jesus is the risen Son of God. The world might call me any number of things because of my belief, but there it is. :-) Another Friday is upon us; I hope you have some wonderful and relaxing plans for this weekend. If you are available this weekend, you might consider this:

Benefit Ride for Memorial Scholarship

Second Annual Benefit Poker Ride for the Sara Russell Memorial Scholarship Fund.
When: Saturday, June 6, 2009
Registration: 9:30-10:30 a.m.
At the Gurley Fire Hall
$10 a bike or car
$15 per couple
Starts in Gurley, Ne. and ends at Big V's in Dalton, Ne. Approximately 150 miles.
For more information, contact Ross Racek in Dalton at 308-380-4693. If you don't have a motorcycle, you can drive your car.

Yours in Christ Jesus,

Bucky