Still Risen

 "Simon Peter said to them, 'I am going fishing.' They said to him, 'We will come with you.' They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing. But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach; yet the disciples didn't know that it was Jesus." John 21:3-4

Easter Sunday is now past, at least on the calendar. The Body of Christ everywhere celebrated the greatest event in the history of the world; the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Many churches celebrated through the weekend, beginning with Good Friday services and culminating all of it on Easter morning. One of the statements made by many preachers in the Good Friday service was, "It's Friday, but Sunday's coming," for it was on Friday that He was crucified and on Sunday that He rose from the dead. I thought about all this this morning, and the thought came to me that, "It's Sunday, but Monday's coming." It's the above passage of Scripture that brings that thought to mind.

Jesus had risen. All the disciples as well as many more of His followers had witnessed this. He had appeared to them. They rejoiced. They could shout, "The Lord has risen! He has risen indeed!" Then Monday came, and they who had been fishermen before His calling them, were back on their boats....fishing. What a time of exhilaration Sunday had been, but now it was "Monday." What would they do with it? What would they do with the reality of a risen Christ? It appears that they were prepared to go back to living as if He hadn't really risen at all. They knew He had, but it doesn't seem like it was going to affect how they were to live. He'd called them to be fishers of men, but here they were, back to fishing for fish. The reality of His resurrection wasn't translating into their day to day reality. For all of us who celebrated His resurrection just a day ago, Monday has come. Has His resurrection invaded our lives on this day as it did yesterday. Or, was Resurrection Sunday just a day on a calendar to be celebrated that day, but not lived out on any other?

Jesus had already appeared to them, and likely more than once. Yet here they were, engaged in something that He'd called them from, and when He appeared to them again, they didn't recognize Him. How are we like them? A day ago we recognized Him, celebrated Him in song and the Word. He was so real to us in our worship, yet here we are today, "Monday," and we don't recognize Him at all. His reality isn't entering into ours. He's here, but we don't "see" Him. Our "stuff" is back in the forefront, and that's what we're aware of. We don't see Him and we don't recognize Him even when He's right before us. It's like He hasn't risen at all.

Christ is risen! He is and gives resurrection life to all who believe upon Him. If we say we believe in Him, if we are His by the transforming work of His Spirit and blood, why are we not living in the resurrection life He gives us? Why are we living like He's still in the tomb? Why does the greatest event in human history, celebrated so richly just a day before, seem so far from us just a day later? Why do we so easily go back to our "old boats" and fail to partake of the life He died and rose to give us?

Resurrection life is not just a future promise. It's a present one. He calls us into it. It is our part to step into it. To believe and receive it. To forsake all the "old boats." Old ways of thinking, living, coping, surviving. To enter into His new and Living Way. Sunday has come, and Monday's coming, but in Christ, we may live every day as Sunday. Resurrection Day. He calls us to it. Each and every day. Easter Sunday is to be our way of life every day of our life in Him. Is it, and if not, why not?

Christ is risen! That's the reality. Is it our reality. Monday is here, but the wonder of His resurrection is as real, more real than ever. He gives us resurrection life. Let us enter into it. Fully enter into it. The tomb is empty and all of our "old boats" can be left behind. The old has passed, the new has come. Let us lay hold of all of it.

Blessings,
Pastor O