Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter
Easter season is full of great opportunities for each of us to realize God’s love for us. Our scriptures today give us a beautiful understanding of God’s spirit working in the early Christian community. That spirit was pushing the apostles to witness to the power of the resurrection in their lives. That same good news is affirmed and reinforced in the psalm and the gospel.
In today’s gospel we encounter one of the most memorized versus in scripture, John 3:16. Although many of us can recite it quickly, do we fully appreciate the depth of its meaning, especially in light of the whole gospel reading? God sent God’s son Jesus because of his love for us his creation. Before Jesus, the people of God, were not always walking as people of the light. This reality was of course true after the resurrection too. The difference is Jesus came to free all human kind from the bondage of sin. Jesus came to lead all of us from darkness to light. In the light we as disciples are called to be clear witnesses to the truth that is the goodness of God. The apostles were witnessing to the power of resurrection. When all of sudden, they were arrested and locked in jail. And yet an angel of the Lord came and freed them from their cell. The power of resurrection can not be chained or imprisoned. When the jailers went to bring them to the religious leaders, they found the cells locked and the guards in place, but the apostles were gone. The angel put them back to work witnessing to the good news in the very place that they were in the most danger. Yet their trust in the Lord and their Easter joy empowered them to preach the “full message of this new life.” (Acts 5:20) How do we appreciate the fullness of the messages of God’s love? When the message to go forth and witness to our faith is given to us, what is our response? The power of resurrection reminds us that we will be delivered from our fears. Surely we realize that the Lord hears our cry. It is why God sent Jesus to become one of us. So we would realize that through his death, Jesus, outstretched arms would connect heaven and earth through the resurrection. Easter power was given to the apostles and is still being given to us. Have we locked ourselves away somewhere because of our fear of the costs of discipleship? Reflect today on one way you could be a better witness to reality and power of the resurrection. “Lord you hear us when we cry. When you answer our call remind us to trust in your love so that we would go forth with your praise ever in our mouth. Amen! Alleluia!” -Michael Montgomery