Charisa Stories

Tag: resurrection

  • One Of The Worst Days Ever

    One Of The Worst Days Ever

    There is much written about Good Friday. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross is incomprehensible to my puny human intellect. There is much written about Easter Sunday. Christians around the world rejoice and proclaim that “He is risen!”. But there is not nearly as much written about one of the saddest and most confusing days in history. The Saturday between the Friday horror of Jesus on the Cross and the Sunday mystery of the resurrection. Some churches do observe Holy Saturday but it was never a tradition in my faith upbringing.

    I have been thinking about what that day must have been like for those who dropped everything to follow Jesus. How crushing those events had to be. I imagine the fear they felt that they would also be killed. And for what? On Saturday they feared they had given their careers and their very souls for a false hope.

    I think in particular of Peter. I identify so much with him. Like him I throw down bold statements of loyalty to the Lord and then betray them. Like him I draw attention to my own accomplishments instead of recognizing where my accomplishments come from. Like Peter I am a generally sincere but desperately needy follower of Jesus.

    You know the story about Peter before the arrest and mock trial of Jesus. Jesus tells Peter that he will deny him three times before the rooster crows at dawn. For many years I breezed by the setup to that prediction.

    “Simon (Peter),  Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”  (Luke 22, NLT)

    Jesus had already prayerfully pleaded for Peter to be used in a powerful and redemptive way before the failure, shame and repentance that Jesus knew was about to happen. Our sin does not take Jesus by surprise. Why does His grace and forgiveness surprise us?

    Like me, Peter did not hear the tender words of encouragement from the Lord. Nope. He blustered.

    “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.”

    After the arrest of Jesus a suddenly less bold Peter followed the crowd. He denied to a servant girl that he knew Jesus. He denied his alliance to another bystander. The crushing sorrow and shame of what happened next is hard to fathom.

    About an hour later someone else insisted, “This must be one of them, because he is a Galilean, too.”

    But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.

    At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind:“Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And Peter left the courtyard, weeping bitterly.

    I imagined what the expression might have been on the face of Jesus when He turned and looked. I suspect it was a look of sadness, compassion and longing to comfort His friend. But what Peter probably saw was only disappointment and failure. Peter’s tears likely flowed until they could no longer flow. I suspect it was hard to even breathe. His heart literally ached within his chest. His mind could not imagine any future hope. I wonder if he thought about running away or even ending it all. I wonder if he could think at all.

    That Saturday was one of the worst days in history and Peter may have felt the pain of that awful day more intensely than anyone. He did not know what would happen the next day. Peter did not yet understand what Jesus had been telling him.

    When Luke recounts that Jesus appeared to the Disciples the only one mentioned by name is Peter. What gives me hope this Easter season is the tender story of Jesus affirming and reinstating Peter to be a leader who would “feed His sheep”. That is the grace that changes a heart.

    I can betray Jesus. Ignore Him. Live selfishly. At some point I once again recognize my desperate need for Jesus to rescue me. For the one millionth time I turn to Him. And what happens? He lifts my shame bowed head and looks deeply into my eyes. He tells me how much He loves me. That is grace. That is real. That is love. Maybe I won’t have a day quite as bad as Peter on that horrible dark Saturday but his story of redemption encourages me this Easter season.

    He is risen! He is risen for me! Jesus is pleading for me that my faith will not fail. What a joyous hope for all of us this Easter.

  • The Hope of Spring

    The Hope of Spring

    Yesterday was the first day of spring and the weather in North Texas was beautiful. We did not have a brutal winter but we did have a deep freeze and ice storm that took it’s toll on our plants.

    As I walked Miss Maggie in the late afternoon I stopped to look at one of our trees. There were tiny buds beginning to appear on the branches. These green buds sprouted in defiance of winters brutal assault. I stopped and meditated on the miracle of life emerging out of barrenness. I thought of the words of philosopher Bernard Williams. “The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.”

    I love that.

    Is there anything more hopeful than watching the beauty of budding leaves and blooming flowers turning the melancholy of a bleak winter into a wondrous palette of invigorating colors? Every spring is a reminder that God will bring beauty from darkness and life from death. 

    The world can seem to be in a state of perpetual winter. But for followers of Jesus we can see signs of life even in the darkness. Like that bit of green emerging from a lifeless branch we have a hope this spring. 

    Jesus has conquered death. 

    Martin Luther poetically wrote this. “Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.”

    Followers of Jesus have a hope that our lives are eternal and valuable in Him. We have a hope that death is not final.

    Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

    “Death is swallowed up in victory.
    55 O death, where is your victory?
        O death, where is your sting?    ”

    56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. (1 Corinthians 15:54-58, NLT)

    Nothing we do for the Lord is ever useless. Nothing! And even as we face the reality of a dangerous world we know we have the twin promise of victory over sin and death through Jesus. So as spring begins I choose to marvel at the renewing of life and the hope that holds for all of us. Paul wrote about this miracle.

    “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 
    (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

    We have become new creations now and forever in Jesus. Doesn’t that hope feel especially good this spring?

  • The Most Important Question Ever?

    The Most Important Question Ever?

    The movie Risen offers a unique look at the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. How did a worldwide movement arise after the ignominious death of their leader? It all hinged on one question. Did Jesus rise from the dead?

    I wrote the following about the improbable rise of these early Jesus followers in my book “When Bad Christians Happen to Good People” a few years ago.

    History records that several alleged messianic figures were running around during the time of Christ. It is possible that some of them had followers as impressive as the twelve selected by Jesus. Jesus took twelve guys of questionable attributes and built the largest faith in the world.

    Not one of the other would-be messiahs’ influence made it into the second century, let alone the twenty-first. So our calendar is dated by the birth of Christ. Does it not pique your curiosity that such a band of men could have such a global impact? No other man in history has had a greater effect, yet His ministry lasted only three years and ended in betrayal and a criminal execution. His blue-collar band of disciples led a religion that turned the world upside down. His disciples scattered and, on the way out the door, denied Him. And yet something transformed them, and they later had the courage to stand against persecution and even death to proclaim His truth. Somehow these men were persuasive enough to influence people to spread His gospel all over the globe.

    Does it not seem odd that the leaders of that day who possessed absolute power could not stamp out this modest little faith? Why did they not produce the body of Jesus and put an end to the craziness once and for all? It was certainly in the best interests of Rome and the comfortable “Religious Right” of the day to quell this peasant uprising. Or, if they couldn’t produce the body, why didn’t they simply discredit the Resurrection account in such a way that no one would believe it? The resurrection of Christ is a pretty outrageous claim, and it would seem easy to refute.

    That was why the story line of  Risen was intriguing to me. Historically, there was a Nazarene who was crucified. There were two groups that had a tremendous interest in making sure that was the end of his story. The Romans wanted no movement to grow that would cause political unrest. The Jewish leaders wanted to stamp out the heresy that they believed this teacher was spreading and also keep their power intact. It was a win-win for the religious leaders and Rome to eliminate this messianic hope of the people.

    The story is told through the eyes of Roman soldier and Tribune Clavius. He is tasked by Herod to make sure the crazy followers of this man did not steal the body. A rumor had been circulating that the Nazarene would rise again in three days so Clavius makes sure the stone is rolled into place and the tomb is sealed. Roman guards are put in place knowing they will be killed if they fail to keep the body securely in the tomb.

    Three days later the body is gone and Clavius begins a desperate hunt to find the body. The battle hardened soldier cannot accept that this Nazarene named Jesus could have somehow come back to life. That is a step of faith that people are still wrestling with 2,000 years later. But it is the most important question of all if you are to put your faith in Jesus. Pastor/Author Tim Keller sums it up.

    “If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.”

    The movie explores the imagined lengths that the Romans and religious leaders go to to quell the rumor that Jesus has risen. They try to find the body or any body that could be displayed to stop the rumors. They did not.

    I struggled with these same questions over forty years ago.

    • How could the body disappear?
    • How did the Apostles who were so afraid become heroes of the faith and willing to die a martyr’s death? Simply because they stole the body out of a tomb?That made no sense to me.
    • And could they have kept a lie of such massive implications secret?

    I love the honest evaluation of former Watergate principle Chuck Colson.

    “I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world-and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.”

    Honest people can view the same evidence and come up with completely different opinions. I wrestled with the claims of Jesus Christ for a long time before I decided to believe that He was who He claimed to be. And I remember feeling exactly what the fictional character Clavius felt when asked what he feared most.

    “Being wrong. Wagering eternity on it.”

  • Why This Spring Feels Different

    Why This Spring Feels Different

    My boys will tell you that I am the eternal optimist. For the past year I have been getting on my tiptoes and looking for the light at the end of the Pandemic Tunnel. Full disclosure. I have been discouraged by how (insert your approved descriptive word here) long this tunnel has become. Just when I start feeling hopeful TCLNN (The Chicken Little News Network) informs me the sky is falling and likely very soon.

    I allowed myself to wonder if the world will ever be the same. I needed a postcard from God.

    Today I walked outside and received that needed special delivery from my Heavenly Father. Just a month ago record cold paralyzed our state and it was feared that many plants could not survive. But on this sunny morning life had begun to renew. Green buds sprouted in defiance of winters brutal assault. I stopped in my tracks and stared at life springing out of barrenness. I thought of the words of philosopher Bernard Williams.

    “The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.”

    I love that. Is there anything more hopeful than watching the beauty of budding leaves and blooming flowers turning a brown, bleak winter into a wondrous palette of invigorating colors? Every spring is a reminder that God will bring beauty from darkness and life from death.

    For twelve months television screens have posted running tallies showing deaths from the Covid virus. We know that cancer and other diseases take millions more from us each year. But like that bit of green emerging from a lifeless branch we have a hope this spring.

    Jesus has conquered death.

    Martin Luther poetically wrote this. “Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.”

    Followers of Jesus have a hope that our lives are eternal and valuable in Him. We have a hope that death is not final.

    Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

    “Death is swallowed up in victory.
    55 O death, where is your victory?
        O death, where is your sting?    ”

    56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless. (1 Corinthians 15:54-58, NLT)

    Nothing we do for the Lord is ever useless. Nothing! And even as we face the reality of a dangerous world we know we have the twin promise of victory over sin and death through Jesus. So as spring begins I choose to marvel at the renewing of life and the hope that holds for all of us. Paul wrote about this miracle.

    “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
    (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

    We have become new creations now and forever in Jesus. Doesn’t that hope feel especially good this spring?