awestruck + amazed

I am in awe.

Happy (belated) Easter, He is risen!

When was the last time you thought about the gravity of that statement? Every Easter, we  probably use the phrase “he is risen” 173 times or so. Every Sunday, we sings songs that proclaim “Christ is risen from the dead.” We routinely hear/talk about the resurrection because we know it is where our faith and salvation come from. But how often do you find yourself in utter awe of Christ and what he has done for you?

Yesterday morning during church, I was in awe. My pastor was talking about two tombs sited in the Bible: that of Lazarus and that of Jesus. For some reason, it was during the discussion of Lazarus’ death and resurrection that I became insanely awestruck by the story. Think about it: a man died. Literally, he was dead. For four days. My pastor mentioned that the Hebrew people believed that the soul still resided with the body for three days after death. So Lazarus’ body wasn’t just dead; according to the people of the time, his soul had already departed. And Jesus brought him back to life anyways. Jesus brought a person back to life. A regular person. His friend. A man. A human being died and then four days later he lived. WHAT??? I don’t know how I reacted when I first heart this story (because I was probably like 6 years old), but wow! I felt like a child hearing about a superhero that could fly and become invisible. This guy (Jesus, that is) brought a guy back to life!!! Like wow even sitting here writing this now, I am grinning because it is so insane to believe that happened. No wonder some people don’t believe the Bible at first glance; some of this stuff seems too crazy to be true.

But then comes the story of Jesus.

A sinless man. God in the flesh. (Can we just all pause together and be amazed that GOD wanted to become a PERSON and live among US even though we are mean and sinful and unlovable and flawed and not heavenly at all? Wow people) He comes down to Earth and lives a perfect life, doing nothing but loving people. And still, people did not love him back. They did not believe him. They did not want to follow him. So they decided to kill him. To crucify him. To hang him up with criminals on a cross to mock him and torture him. (Can we all just pause together and cry for our Savior?  The one who loves us more than any human ever could died a criminal’s death and people spit on him when he just wanted to love them. Does your heart break for Him and for the world that never learned to love him? Wow people) He died and was buried in a tomb that was secured with a stone that could not be moved. “It is finished” was his cry. He was dead. He bore our sin and shame in the ultimate way and died. DIED. Just like people do. Just like Lazarus did. BUT THEN, three days later, HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD. Literally he was dead and then he wasn’t. Just like that. Hello???? Do you feel like a 6 year old hearing about a superhero??? The Savior of the world is not dead, he is risen!

And this wasn’t just some ridiculous stunt to prove how cool and awesome God is (though he certainly is). He did this for US. For me. For you. For those horrible people who would never believe him. For the terrible people who whipped him. For the evil people who put him in the grave. For me, the one who sins daily. The one who runs away from him. The one who hurts people he loves. For you, the one who doubts. The one who sometimes has difficulty with faith. The one who isn’t sure. He died for us. For all the people before him and those who would come after him. He died so that the world didn’t have to die. So that we could all live.

“The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly.” -John 10:10

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son; that whoever would believe in him will not die but have everlasting life.” -John 3:16

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” -Romans 5:8

We are loved with a love so big that he came to die. But he did not stay dead. He came back for us to prove that he is greater that death. LOVE DEFEATED DEATH. Love saves lives. It saved mine, it saves it every day. And today, and I hope for the rest of my life and for all of eternity, I am in awe of a Savior who could love me so much that he would give himself for me, and then come back to life. For the sinner. For the one who is not always faithful. I pray that we never forget the gravity of his miraculous love and sacrifice. I pray that we always remember that Jesus is the ultimate superhero. I pray that we always remember that love can beat death. I pray that we always wake up in awe of the fact that our Savior did not stay dead. 

{ wide eyed and mystified, may we be just like a Child, staring at the beauty of our King – may we never lose our wonder }

My sweet savior, I love you. Today all I can say is that I love you and I am thankful for you.