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Surprise!
Scripture Reading — Luke 24:1-8, 36-48
“He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you. . . .”
— Luke 24:6
I remember walking up to the Grand Canyon in Arizona for the very first time. I thought I knew what to expect since I had heard so much about the Grand Canyon. But then I stepped out of the national park trolley, walked over to the edge of the canyon, and leaned up against the safety railing. The vastness, the colors, and the distance to the river below took my breath away! I realized that while I had heard about the Grand Canyon, I had not really understood what “Grand Canyon” actually meant.
Similarly, the disciples and the women who had followed Jesus had heard him talk about rising from the dead on the third day, but they had not understood what he had actually meant. So when they saw the empty tomb after the crucifixion, and when they eventually saw Jesus alive again, he took their breath away! Here was the living Jesus, walking and talking, eating food, and holding his damaged hands out for them to see.
Today the church remembers that breathtaking surprise: Jesus’ resurrection. We talk about it as, among other things, the beginning of a new creation, with Jesus being the firstborn from among the dead. It’s enough to take our breath away—the miracle itself, and then all of the many other miracles that it set in motion.
Dear God, today we read and remember the truth about Jesus’ miraculous return to life. Help us to understand it also as a launch of your new creation, and to know the hope and joy that it brings. Amen.
About the author — Dave Den Haan
Dave Den Haan is an ordained minister who works for Thrive, the Christian Reformed Church in North America agency that equips and encourages congregations. His main focus is to serve churches experiencing conflict and challenge. Before working with Thrive, Dave served as a pastor to two congregations, one in Minnesota and one in Michigan. He and his wife, Connie, have three married children and two grandchildren.
Scripture Reading — Luke 24:1-8, 36-48
“He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you. . . .”
— Luke 24:6
I remember walking up to the Grand Canyon in Arizona for the very first time. I thought I knew what to expect since I had heard so much about the Grand Canyon. But then I stepped out of the national park trolley, walked over to the edge of the canyon, and leaned up against the safety railing. The vastness, the colors, and the distance to the river below took my breath away! I realized that while I had heard about the Grand Canyon, I had not really understood what “Grand Canyon” actually meant.
Similarly, the disciples and the women who had followed Jesus had heard him talk about rising from the dead on the third day, but they had not understood what he had actually meant. So when they saw the empty tomb after the crucifixion, and when they eventually saw Jesus alive again, he took their breath away! Here was the living Jesus, walking and talking, eating food, and holding his damaged hands out for them to see.
Today the church remembers that breathtaking surprise: Jesus’ resurrection. We talk about it as, among other things, the beginning of a new creation, with Jesus being the firstborn from among the dead. It’s enough to take our breath away—the miracle itself, and then all of the many other miracles that it set in motion.
Dear God, today we read and remember the truth about Jesus’ miraculous return to life. Help us to understand it also as a launch of your new creation, and to know the hope and joy that it brings. Amen.
About the author — Dave Den Haan
Dave Den Haan is an ordained minister who works for Thrive, the Christian Reformed Church in North America agency that equips and encourages congregations. His main focus is to serve churches experiencing conflict and challenge. Before working with Thrive, Dave served as a pastor to two congregations, one in Minnesota and one in Michigan. He and his wife, Connie, have three married children and two grandchildren.
