EASTER 2016

March 27, 2016

It's Easter. 

And some of us are sitting in the pews of this church for the first time all year.  Our lives have been busy with our kid's volleyball games, the yard needing to be mowed or we found it hard to come back to church after having been gone so long.  We all have our reasons....I have mine....you have yours.  But we are all here.....Today.....Together.....worshipping as one.  Worshipping THE One.  When we focus on the fact that we are all family, that makes today....a Family Reunion.  A reunion that has become tradition in the Christian faith. 

I'm rebel enough to discard most church traditions that are done for the simple reason "just because its always been done". That doesn't work for me.  I told you I was a rebel.  But this tradition called Easter....well.....I LOVE this tradition.  I long to gather with You as part of My family and worship the Head of Our household......Jesus, together.

And there's another not-often-mentioned tradition of the Christian church.....the eating of figs after Palm Sunday.  I hate figs.  But many do this....because the day after Palm Sunday, Jesus, hungry for fruit, saw a fig tree.......

"He went to it, and found nothing on it but leaves only.
And He said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!"
And the fig tree withered at once."
Matthew 21:18

The irony of this story is that the first action after the fall of man, was Adam came looking for fig leaves, and the last miracle before being nailed to the tree, Jesus came looking for figs.  Please don't miss the paradox here, sweet family.

If you asked Adam today, my bet is he'd tell you, "The authentic Christian life has GOT to be more than leafage."

See.....your FAITH must have FRUIT.  It's the fig-bearers who live a faith that bears fruit.....and it's the leaf-wearers who live the lie.
ENTIRE family trees wither away without a grace that produces fruit.  Without this grace....we waste away. 

"The stone was not moved so Jesus could
GET OUT.
It was moved so We could
GET IN."
#Easter