On this day between Good Friday and Easter, I find the words below from Jim Wallis "A Call to Conversion", an exclamation mark of why we do the things we do, because so often, I forget and then become discouraged and frustrated. So we are reminded, remember and live!
What is the good news? When all that sin had done, or could ever do, was laid on Jesus, it did not overcome him. Death could not swallow him. The grave was denied its victory. The witness of history and of his followers is that “he is risen.” He is alive. He has triumphed over all. He is the victor over every sin, hate, fear, violence, and death. Nothing is stronger than his victory—nothing past, nothing present, and nothing future.
On Easter morning, and each day of our lives, we celebrate the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which triumphs over every other reality. In the face of the world and its systems, we proclaim the resurrection, saying, “We have seen the Lord.” We see him in the lives of our brothers and sisters. We discover him in the faces of the poor, in the faces of all the victims, and in the faces of our children. We see him in the lives of Christians who have suffered and died because they believed. And we see the Lord in the bread and the wine. He shows us, as he did his disciples, the evidence of his suffering. He invites us to reach out, take, eat, and drink; he wants us to remember him, to see him, and to know his victory.
His way is life. The world’s way is death. We can now stand before the world’s false realities and securities, free to deny them, denounce them, and remove ourselves from them. We stand before the reality of the resurrection and confess with the first disciples that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
We stand before the world as fools. We are foolish enough to believe that Jesus’ way is stronger and truer than the way of the world. We rest secure in the knowledge that he has, and will, overcome. We are called to be fools for Christ, a people saved by his cross and converted, finally, by his resurrection.
May God convert us to such foolishness.
2 comments:
Hi Hans and Henni,
May the Lord bless you during this Easter season. Always enjoy your reports on your blog.
This Wednesday I'l be connected with CRWRC for a special webinar at noon-hour, which is a seminar online, to talk with others about church partnership. Not sure exactly what we'll be discussing, but they know we've been interested to do something as churches here in the Ottawa area. There must be others that are contemplating the same thing, so I expect this will be an opportunity to share information.
Which begs me to ask you, have you made contact with the Malembo Youth Group as of yet?
When you get back to Canada I want to share a new project that I've just started into. It involves selling coffee from Uganda. I'll tell you more later.
Also Josh just got home from Uganda/ Kenya. As you know he's working for World Vision now. It looks as though he'll be travelling fairly often. Anyways thanks for keeping us informed of your work in Malawi. Always enjoy your reports.
blessings,
Frank
Thanks so much for sharing this Henni. What a wonderful gift we celebrate with many, many around the world. I loved your pictures - people smiling and praising!
Looking forward to seeing you soon!
Many blessings,
Greta
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