Unveil by Jon EganSample

Day 1: This Changes Everything  

Luke 24:2-5

They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?

The resurrection of Jesus was the event that changed everything. The great mystery is how we are invited into it. We die with Christ and rise with Christ! From death to life. When Jesus died, all seemed lost. The lights went out. Hope was gone. What now?

There’s a space we find ourselves living in that we don’t like, but can’t avoid. It's the in-between… When some sort of death has taken place and you’re still sitting in the dark. Maybe a friendship was dismantled by misunderstanding. Maybe your marriage has been rocked by poor decisions or your career has fallen apart before your eyes. Perhaps you’ve experienced the earth shattering loss of a family member. Whatever it is, your investment of passion, love, energy — it all feels lost.

Yet, there's the hope of something to come. Yet. That’s a tiny word with more power than we can imagine. It’s a tiny window into a great reality. There is something that can change everything.

It’s resurrection.

All that was dead is made alive. Hope is restored. Healing comes. The world that looked like it was in black and white is now bursting with color. So, how do we live in the space in-between? On Friday, all was lost. On Sunday, all had come to life. What do we do with Saturday?

There's an epic passage in Habakkuk 3:17-19. It says,

 “Though the fig tree does not bud

and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen

and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength;

he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights."

Again, the word “yet” carries all the weight here. All is ruined, squandered or stolen, and the prophet sings out, ‘I CHOOSE to praise you.’ Why? Because praise taps into the reality of what’s coming. It brings the truth of resurrection into our present-day circumstances. The hard truth that’s inherent in the resurrection of Jesus is this: You can’t have resurrection without death. We all want to see miracles, but few of us want the circumstances in our lives that would require a miracle. But in every grief we experience here in this life, there is the seed of hope for a miraculous resurrection. Because he lives, we can live. This changes everything.

It may still seem far off. You may be drowning still in yesterday's death, fear, or anxiety — but, the story has already been written. The promise is established. The stone rolled away and Jesus walked out of the grave. The stone will roll away. Whatever hardship you are facing, even death itself — you will walk out of your grave. It is a biblical certainty, just hang on. Resurrection is rushing at you. In the meantime, rejoice in the Lord.