Jesus was laid and sealed in a tomb with guards on watch day and night .. the disciples hid in fear for they had just witnessed the death of their Lord .. and yes .. totally anticipated their own deaths would follow soon .. for you see .. they didn’t see the resurrection coming .. no .. all they could see was defeat and despair .. so they did what most of us would do in this situation .. they doubted .. and yes .. they lost hope .. and friends .. because they lost hope they cowered in fear for their Lord was dead and their hope in Him returning was gone .. they lost hope in His promise of life and salvation .. and yes .. they lost hope in themselves .. the truth is .. we’ve all felt this way in our lives at one point or another .. that feeling of numbness when we lose someone we love .. and friends .. it doesn’t seem by chance that the words of the psalmist were some of the last words He ever spoke .. “my God .. my God .. why have you forsaken me?” .. it’s as if He took on our cry along with the cry of the disciples that day .. that cry we’ve all found ourselves shouting at some point in our lives .. so .. if He was in fact echoing our own struggle on the cross .. then yes .. it seems that “Holy Saturday” serves an important reminder that doubt and hopelessness are an inevitable a part of our story .. even if we wish they weren’t .. for yes .. we’re a people who will struggle our whole lives with doubt .. and yes .. at times we’re going to lose hope .. and no .. it’s not because we’re weak .. it’s because our faith is so strong .. and yes .. what we hope for is so extraordinary that when we are faced with pain and death or anything else that stands opposed to His kingdom .. it’s understandable to lose hope because we’re human .. and no .. we simply don’t understand the big picture .. so yes .. on this Holy Saturday we can take the time to rediscover it’s importance .. along with the doubt that comes with it .. for friends .. it’s simply a critical reminder that our struggle is real .. especially when we have the audacity to hope for resurrection in this world we live .. haha .. yes friends .. today should remind us that if He was willing to let Thomas poke and prod Him with his doubts even when He stood right before His eyes .. haha .. then we must also be willing to embrace and love one another as we struggle with our own faith while making room for our own doubts .. for yes .. we’re His people trying the best we can to hold on to that hope that many take for granted .. for no .. today is not the final chapter in our story .. for resurrection is coming even if we don’t realize it .. even if we can’t see it .. and yes .. even if we don’t believe it .. bottom line and simple truth .. haha .. oh yeah .. love wins period
“Jesus answered them .. “Destroy this temple .. and in three days I will raise it up” .. the Jews then said .. “It has taken forty six years to build this temple .. and will you raise it up in three days?” … but He was speaking about the temple of His body”
#lovewinsperiod