Solar Panels
“He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ Now I have told you.”- Matthew 28:6-7
Happy Easter! Jesus is Alive! Light always wins!
These are just some of the greetings I want to exuberantly extend to you this week as we remember, rejoice in, and receive the promise and power of the Resurrection of Jesus! Because of this eternal reality and victory, our gathering this Sunday will be marked by an unparalleled level of radiance. People will be wearing beautiful ensembles with bright colors; the worship/praise in the room will reverberate with joy and strength; the children will be filled with enthusiasm as they eagerly anticipate egg hunts and goodies; and the message for the morning, “Foolproof”, will fill our faith with an unshakeable truth.
The Resurrection of Jesus from the dead speaks to the LIGHT of the World defeating darkness, division, and death. Through this greatest miracle and victory, darkness must give way to light, sin must give way to grace, fear must give way to love/peace, and death must give way to eternal life. As John 1:5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” From the very first Easter morning to our glorious celebration this 2018 there has been a Spirit Cycle at work:
The MIRACLE of Resurrection Life releases a MESSAGE of Good News that produces a MULTIPLICATION of Salvation!
On that wonderful (unmatched) day when the earth shook, the stone was rolled away, and Jesus came out of the tomb as our conquering Savior…the miracle of life won! A few hours later, some of the women who followed Him came in hopes of properly preparing His body for burial (they were unable to do this when Jesus dies due to the beginning of the Sabbath). In that garden they are met by both an angel and the Risen Lord, who both call them to deliver the first Easter message recorded. They are called to “preach” that “Jesus is Risen” to the Disciples. What follows (over the next season) is the disciples seeing Him, receiving the Holy Spirit, and fulfilling the call to be His witnesses. We see the multiplication from the resurrection recorded on the Day of Pentecost (the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the Birth of the Church) as Peter delivers the message in Acts 2. Here is the outcome in verses 32, 41, “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it…Those who accepted His message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”
As we think about the miracle, message, and multiplication of the Resurrection and its’ reality for us today, I want you to envision something quite prevalent in our neighborhoods, which just thirty years ago seemed like an oddity and novelty: SOLAR PANELS. What once donned maybe one house every couple of blocks, now seems to be on well over a quarter of the homes I drive by. Solar panels collect energy from the sun, shares that energy with other households in the area (through the local power company), while producing a savings for the one who has them on their roof. The word of the Lord to us this Easter is to become a “Solar Panel Believer”: One who is drawing from His power, sharing it with others, and experiencing life-giving, life-saving results from it. Just as actual solar panels have popped up everywhere and are clearly seen on the roofs, so too should the message of the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection be multiplied many times over. What started on the first Easter with a message from few faithful women is today being declared to millions all over the globe!
So, on this Easter Sunday, awaken to the glorious light of His good news and shine brightly the joy, hope, and victory that the resurrection releases us from and releases us into. May your countenance and communication of the Easter miracle be just as radiant as the clothes adorned by each believer and the celebrations that take place in each church. Let us lift high the name of Jesus and illuminate the message of His light and life. As Ephesians 5:8 tells us, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light.”