Because It Is True—He Lives
By Joan Gaines –
“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:2-3) When Jesus said this to his disciples they did not understand because they did not know the implications of his Resurrection.
We give thanks because we do understand that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead and he lives. Accepting the truth of the Resurrection allows me to serve as a disciple of Jesus, doing the ministry he calls me to each day.
It would be impossible for me to serve as a hospital chaplain if I did not know the living Christ. I might be able to offer some counseling and human comfort, but I could not bring the deep peace Christ promises to the people I encounter. I cannot force anyone to receive the Good News, but I can pray for them and entrust them to the living Savior.
Accepting the truth of the Resurrection and what it can mean makes it possible for me to spend time away from my mother’s home where she lies in hospice care. I entrust her to the living Lord and know she is in his presence. My mother loves Jesus and she has been concerned that less truth about him is being spoken. She has encouraged me to share the Good News in hospitals, in churches, in presbytery meetings and wherever the Holy Spirit leads. She has encouraged me to help small churches in particular, and to see that the gospel is shared,
Because Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, you and I have new life – life after this life, yes, but also new life everyday, because we are in the presence of the risen Lord, and the Holy Spirit dwells within us. It is a simple and simply amazing truth.
Christ is risen indeed! And because this is true we can fulfill his Commission to go into the world and share this Good News with everyone we meet, assured that the risen Christ is with us every moment of every day. Let this be our joyful calling each and every day.
Joan Gaines is a Teaching Elder in the PC(USA) currently serving as a hospital chaplain in Amarillo TX. She is also the moderator of the Middle America Wee Kirk Conference Team and part of The Fellowship Community Leadership Team.