LIFE & BREATHSample

DAY THREE: RESURRECTION LIFE AND BREATH

“You killed the author of life, but God raised Him from the dead.” (Acts 3:15)

How amazing is it that what looked like the end was not the end? Imagine from the perspective of those disciples – all their hope deflated following the brutal execution of Jesus upon the cross. Confusion and fear reigning in their hearts and minds, in those days following the events of Calvary.

But imagine also the sacred scene of that darkened tomb – where the lifeless body of Jesus was raised back to life. Think of that history-shaping moment where the first breath entered and exited His resurrection lungs – and the spiritual landscape changed forevermore. For just as his final breath upon the cross means we could die to our old selves, so too these first few new breaths in that miracle tomb mean we too can be made fully alive.

Frederick Buechner wrote, “Resurrection means that the worst thing is never the last thing." Think about that for a moment, through the lens of the cross of Christ. To all of Jesus’ disciples and followers in that moment the events of Calvary felt like the worst thing that could ever happen. This surely was not the plan? They had seen so much healing and transformation – hearts, lives and bodies restored and revived before their very eyes. They had seen an outpouring of love and hope – and Jesus bestowing dignity, compassion and freedom on those He met. There’s such a beautiful momentum to the whole thing. But then Jesus is arrested, and it’s all seemingly downhill from there. He is arrested, questioned, mocked, beaten - and then hung up upon an instrument of death, crucified for all to see. It seems like the end – the end of a great adventure, the end of a coming kingdom, the end of an explosion of hope. But of course it was not the end - and death did not have the final say. The resurrection of Jesus made sure that the seemingly worst thing was definitely not the last thing – there was about to be so much more to this story – a comeback, a resurgence, a victorious conclusion. As the Apostle Peter tells the world in Acts 3:15 - “You killed the author of life, but God raised Him from the dead.”

For those who confess Christ crucified and know Christ resurrected, the same will be true. The very worst thing this world can throw at us will never be the end of our story.Whatever we walk through, however burdensome or bleak, it will not be our final chapter. We will likely not escape pain, sorrow or suffering in this life – but for sure, at some point we will overcome them - and our stories will be marked by the bright-shining promises of God - and the power of His resurrection life and breath.

Let the eyes of your heart look upon Jesus today – the risen and ascended King of glory. And live and sing today like one who has been raised up from the grave.