Realize

I have the privilege of joining with the #Five Minute Friday Community of writers, to write on the one-word prompt, which today is: Realize.

My bible reading this morning was from John Chapter 21 where it recounts the night when Peter with some of the other disciples had gone out fishing and caught nothing. As they were coming ashore in the morning, weary, tired, hungry, dispirited, the risen Jesus call to them to let down their nets on the other side of the boat and they then caught 153 large fish!

They only then realized it was Jesus and not only that but He had breakfast already prepared for them on the beach and invites them to “come and have some breakfast”!

How amazing is that! Tired, weary after a night of fruitless toiling to have Jesus waiting there for you with the invite to come and have some breakfast!

We often feel that we are toiling away, fruitless, empty, but like the disciples when we come to the end of ourselves how wonderful to realize that Jesus is there waiting for us, inviting us to come, to rest, to refresh, to be sustained.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³     he refreshes my soul.

You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows

Psalm 23

Easter

Easter conjures up all sorts of pictures and images doesn’t it?

On one hand there are pictures of bunny rabbits, bright coloured eggs and cute little yellow chicks.

On the other side there is depicted the horrors of the cross.

Perhaps life is like that though, full of contrasts.

Sunny and bright. Dark and Gloomy.

At the start of Holy Week we see the throng shouting, ‘Hosanna’, proclaiming Jesus to be King, contrast that to 5 days later they when they call for that King to be crucified.

Contrast the confusion in the Garden of Gethsemane amongst the soldiers and guards to the composure of Jesus as He steps forward declaring, “I AM He, let these men go.”

Contrast Peter’s actions a few weeks before, full of bravado, declaring that he would die for Jesus and then during the trial denying Him three times.

Contrast Pilate, the Roman Governor, saying that he has power to let Jesus go or let Him be crucified and Jesus declaring that he only had that authority in the first place because it was given to him by God.

We want to sanitise everything, we want Easter to be full of fun, bright and happy. Whereas we should be humbled, brought to our knees that Jesus was there hanging on that cross bearing the price for our sin.

What contrasts do we find in our own lives?:-

The spirit being willing, but the flesh being weak.

Wanting to follow, but counting the cost.

Saying we trust, yet trying to take control.

Over this Easter weekend, let us take time to pause, to reflect, to repent as we think on this great Redemption story, not culminating at the cross, but at the Resurrection.

Let us afresh lay down our own contrasting and conflicting emotions and thoughts as we look to the Cross, to the One who died there in our place.

And let us on Resurrection Sunday, look and rejoice at that empty tomb and rise from that place committed afresh to live, work and serve by the power of the Risen Lord.