Day Four

Welcome to Day Four.

The day after the big Easter extravaganza. After the pageantry and the triumphant choir. After the pastor’s declaration of the Good News which was met with a round of jubilant cheers from the congregation.

Yes this is Day Four, the real start of the journey. And that’s exactly what it is – a journey. No fanfare. No infectious songs resonating in your head. No “church high” to keep you pumped up. Now is when the real work begins. To start walking day by day in an honest relationship with Christ. As of today, you’re not walking alone, you’re walking with him.

And that is hard.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a new Christian or been one for decades, it’s the journey itself that is so, so difficult. Because life gets in the way and tries to wear you down until you’re right back where you were, if not a little worse off. You make a commitment to have some quiet time each day. Or read a small passage in the Bible every morning. Or subscribe to a daily devotion like “The Daily Bread” with the very best of intentions of sticking with it. Yet, just like the dusty treadmill in the corner of your basement, the self-help financial book that you never finished reading or that closet you keep swearing you’re going to reorganize, it becomes less and less of a priority.

And in a month, maybe two, you find you’re right back where you started. Just kind of “there” spiritually. “Blah” and unfulfilled. Still craving to know what Jesus is all about. Wishing you could have even something moderately resembling a relationship with him. Or maybe, you simply want to know if he’s real.

So what do you do? You get honest. With yourself and God. You don’t worry about what you’re not or where you are in life. Sure, life’s taken you on some bad rides and beat you down. And you’ve had your own share of missteps along the way. Don’t worry about it. The Bible is full of people like that. And that’s exactly why God chose them. He always picks the unlikely, the marginalized, even the screw ups to prove His point. That He is real. The He is in control. And that He is still at work today.

And all he wants is a relationship – a real, open, honest, continuous relationship – with you.

So, us being honest and all, here’s the million-dollar question to start off your journey: what is it you really want out a relationship with Christ? Take a minute to think about that. Be honest and don’t just give the typical Sunday School answer here. Dig deep and tell God what you’re looking for. What do you really want out of this relationship...this journey?

Then (and remember, we’re being honest here) what can you put into that relationship right now? Ten minutes a day? Half an hour a couple times a week? Your lunch break on Wednesdays? A bi-weekly small group? Whatever it is, it’s ok. Because five honest minutes building a solid relationship with Christ is far better than a distracted hour in a small group. This is all about you and God, not trying to look good to others or doing all “the right things”. And certainly not about checking something off a to-do list.

Got those two questions answered? Good. Now walk. With him. Baby steps at first. Don’t expect too much from yourself right out of the gate. And if it takes some time and some work to find your unique rhythm as to what works best to have that honest, open time with Christ, don’t worry about it.

Just don’t quit. Keep walking. Keep going. Just walk with him. A little more every day. Until your simple walk becomes a journey. A journey you’re sharing with him.

Day Two

Let’s go back. Before marshmallow eggs. Before the Easter Bunny. Before little girls wore festive bonnets.

Let’s go back to the day after Jesus was crucified. And the day before his resurrection. That, Day Two, is a day that’s rarely spoken of but the one I’m most intrigued by.

Here’s why: Imagine yourself as a follower of Christ in that time. Maybe you’ve been around him. Maybe you’ve heard him speak. Maybe you were a leper, a widow or a begger for whom he had performed a miracle. What if you were one of the masses that saw him do miraculous things. You heard him, in person, say radical, yet Godly, things. You saw Him preach and something inside of you just believed in Him.

“This is the guy...this is truly The Messiah.”

And yet today, on Day Two, He’s lying there in a tomb. Left to rot and fade away.

Now, let me ask you, where is your faith today (“today” being Day Two)?

Is it lost? Is it teetering? Are you having second thoughts about Him? Don’t forget, he’s risen others from the dead, yet He himself is dead. How does your mind process this?

What would you honestly be feeling? It’s hard, I know. And after the shock and horror of Jesus being beaten, mocked and crucified, Day Two creeps in and the realization hits you – Jesus is dead. And you’re left to either still believe in Him or let doubt take over.

Now here comes the heavy part, for a lot of us it’s Day Two everyday. We struggle to believe things will get better. We know Jesus can cure, can enable, and make us whole again. We’ve read about it, maybe even seen it for ourselves. But where is He today? Is He really still alive? Where is He when we struggle with our jobs? With our marriages? To simply make it through the week?

We struggle just to hang on, to cling to something lined with truth and hope and pray that Jesus is still alive. That He still works miracles. That He still heals. And most importantly, that He can work in our lives like He worked in others.

For you, I want to tell you one thing – Day Three is coming for you. Know that. Own it. Don’t let doubt and cynicism creep in. Don’t let your past dictate your future. Because, please believe this, your Day Three is coming. Your own resurrection. Your own miracle. Your own “walking out into the light when everyone else had you pegged for dead”.

Because Jesus did rise on Day Three. He fulfilled the prophesies and His own promises to His followers. He showed the stark contrast between life in Him and trying to live in the world. He showed once and for all that nothing – not even death – can stop Him or derail His plans.

And yes, He does have plans for you.

So this weekend between your observation of Good Friday and the celebration of Easter, I want to encourage each of you to spend some time on Saturday thinking what it would have been like for you personally over 2000 years ago. On Friday, they took your Messiah away, tortured and beat him until he bled out. And today, Day Two, you have no knowledge of what’s to come. Are you still believing in Jesus? Or having your doubts?

Do that and let me assure you, when you hear the Good News on Day Three, it will mean more to you than it ever has before. Be more “real” and deepen your faith. So you can experience your own Day Three. And know Jesus is alive and walking with you every day from here on out.