Mount Clinton Mennonite Church

"Thought for the Week"
(April 20, 2003)

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Have You Seen the Lord?

"I have seen the Lord!" This was the second startling pronouncement Jesus' disciples had heard from Mary Magdalene on the morning after that dreadful weekend--the weekend throughout which Jesus lay in the tomb. Mary's first message, that the tomb was empty, had proven to be true when several of the disciples ran to investigate, but this second statement was too much.

Perhaps the grief that gripped them all was pushing Mary back into her old ways. After all, she did have a rather sordid background. There had been seven demons that Jesus had cast out of her. If Jesus were really alive, wouldn't he first come to those in his inner circle--Peter, James or John--rather than to this woman? Yes, she was clearly devoted, but was she really reliable?

However, by that evening, the disciples knew that Mary's words were indeed true, for they too had seen the Lord! The book of Acts begins to tell the rest of the story of how they went from cowering behind locked doors to boldly proclaiming to the world the new life they had found in their risen Lord.

Jesus continues to delight in showing himself to us in the midst of our despair and unbelief. Have you seen the Lord? Do you trust the word of others who have? The message of Easter is a message of wonderful hope to the hopeless. Jesus is indeed alive, and Jesus continues to offer life lived to its fullest to all who are bound by fear and despair. We are simply invited to open our eyes to see him, to believe in him, and to entrust our lives to his care and cause.

Lee Martin

Pastor: Lee Martin (email: mcmchurch@juno.com )
Editor: Richard Bowman (email: rbowman@bridgewater.edu )