RESURRECRTION LIFE

What is it do you think that turned the whole world upside down? We’ve thought it was salvation as it spread from town to town. Of course this was important. It gave the people hope. For living under Roman rule – the folk could hardly cope. An added complication was the abject poverty; And many of the people were bound in slavery. They couldn’t get away from it; there was nowhere to go. It was the sort of lifestyle that most of us don’t know. Salvation was a process to follow to the end. A free gift from the Master on which they could depend. But when this life was over. What difference would it make? With nothing to look forward to; to sleep and never wake! So when they heard the Gospel, what thrilled them to the core, Was that when they had passed away they’d live forevermore! It meant they could look forward to life beyond the grave. Enormously appealing if you were just a slave So when they heard the story of resurrection life, Not only for the husband but also for his wife, They hardly could contain themselves; if this is true, they said, Then all their daily struggles would cease when they were dead. But was it really possible? Was resurrection true? Had anybody seen it? Where was this life anew? And then they heard the story, Christ Jesus was alive. They heard He had been crucified. But no one could survive That kind of monstrous treatment. When done the Roman way; If someone had been crucified, their death had come to stay. And so the death of Jesus was never in dispute This was the certain outcome that no one could refute And yet He had been seen alive. He’d risen from the tomb. It happened three days later so death had met its doom. A miracle had happened! Five hundred men had seen Him after He had risen. And this could only mean That death had been defeated. Its iron grip was gone; So even though they may have “died”, Christ’s followers lived on. It’s hard for us to understand the impact that this made. Two thousand odd years later - this record’s overplayed. We take it so for granted; we hardly raise a yawn. Why should we ever bother? We shake our heads in scorn. And yet the true significance could do for us today, As much as what it did for them. It could transform our way. So think about this carefully. This is explosive news. We too can get excited; forever change our views; That He is resurrected and He’s alive today; And that when life is over, we’ll be with Him to stay. Jim Strickland –written Wednesday 11th May 2011