Resurrection > Redemption > Repentance > Renewal

Easter Sunday, the day Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Here is a prayer from our church service today - "God of life, by the resurrection of your Son you make everything new.  Newness scares us, and we confess to shutting our doors in fear.  We have not listened to voices that challenge us.  We have resisted the Holy Spirit moving us in new directions.  Our hearts are slow to believe your promises.  Forgive us, O God, and renew us to embrace without fear the new life you have given us in Jesus Christ.  Amen"

Jesus' resurrection was the redemption of our sins, which leads us to repentance.  Three big "R" words!  As I ponder on the theme of forgiveness (redemption) of my sins, I reach a crossroads in my faith journey.  Repentance is an action word.... changing!  I have to do nothing but accept Jesus' redemption of my sins, not much action there.  But to repent, I must change and as I said yesterday, I must offer or give forgiveness to others and even myself.  I must change my ways.  That can be tough and that is evident in our church's prayer..."we resisted the Holy Spirit moving us in new directions."

Thankfully, I am not the only person who struggles.  "...renew us to embrace without fear the new life you have given us in Jesus Christ."   Renew, another big "R" word!  New Life!  New life only occurs if we are willing to repent or turn away from our old "sins" and ways of traveling through this life's journey.

Can I hold on to God's promises, believing in those promises?  Change is challenging and can be fearful.  Can I do it?  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13