Easter Sunday: Fruitfulness Reigns

"He is not here;

He has risen, just as He said."

Matthew 28:6, NIV

Good morning, dear fellow sojourner!

Today marks the completion of our lenten journey -- comprising the 50 days of waiting, the 40 days of lent (Ash Wednesday to Palm Sunday), and Holy Week (Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday). 

We did it!

Or did we?

Far from congratulating ourselves on finishing this lengthy trek, Easter Sunday invites you and me to embrace humility and gratitude as we rejoice in the beautiful work of Christ -- His very own Lent!

It was He who did it!

It is He who is doing it!

It is He who will always do it!

And He does it all on our behalf, as the apostle Paul states,

"He who began a good work in you 

will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

Philippians 1:6, NIV

This good work begun in us opens our minds to embrace a new vision -- the importance of parity or partnership.

For example, we have two eyes, two ears, two lips, two feet, two lungs, two hips, two hands . . . Have we ever paused long enough and pondered why we have two of those instead of one? This morning, it dawns on me that it might be because of a specific command the Father spoke in the very beginning of His interaction with the human pairing for fruitfulness, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28, NIV).

We see that, even in the human body, God displays His power in this way. The two eyes are important because they give enough perspective for sight and insight. The two ears allow a broad enough spectrum of sounds to be heard and analyzed whereas the two lips are important because they provide the friction that is needed for articulation to occur. The two feet provide balance and carry us from place to place. Together, the two lungs pump enough air to provide energy to the whole body and the two hips represent the boundaries within which conception, incubation, and birth materialize.

What about hands? What is their importance? Perhaps, some verbs requiring the use of our hands might project a vibrant picture on the screen of our minds—verbs such as touch, write, clean, wipe, scrub, wash, type, sweep, iron, sew, cook, paint, comb, eat, weed, plant, steer, hold, maintain, handpick, assemble, etc., display fruitfulness in life. On the other hand, we can think of some other actions we commit with our hands that do not bear fruit; in fact, they do the exact opposite: tear down, crush, kill, snatch, grab, snuff out, strangle, stifle, hoard, etc.

A verse that comes to mind as I think of a pair of hands is Jonah 2:8, “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs” (NIV84). Are we clinging to worthless idols when it comes to Easter Sunday? Might we be forfeiting God’s grace offered freely to us? 

In all honesty, there were moments around the beginning of this Lenten season when I felt that Easter Sunday would never come. Lo and behold, Easter Sunday is here and excitement has entered my veins. On this momentous occasion, we will gather with friends and family, niceties will be exchanged, thoughts of the risen Lord will be expressed, words of encouragement will be shared regarding the empty tomb and the myriad blessings the Resurrection of Jesus has granted to us who believe in Him. Then, after the final Amen, we hug friends and head home or to a place where a feast has been prepared, we eat like kings and queens, and, sighing contentedly, we sit and relax. 

We love Easter Sunday! 

The end.

There is an almost Disneyesque dimension to the portrait depicted above and I can almost see “And they lived happily ever after” on the screen. Conviction grips my heart as I see myself playing with fire when, even for a moment or two, I allow that kind of sentimental clinging to images, sounds, and deeds of Easter to be the main course of my celebration of Christ’s resurrection. Weeping inside, I see how easily I can miss the point of Easter in the midst of merrymaking.

I do not presume to know where you are, fellow Christ-follower. Let me simply share that I hear an unmistakable call from the Father on this Resurrection Sunday, 

“Go and make disciples . . .” 

Jesus gave His disciples a clear and unpolluted gospel—the good news of an empty tomb and an amazing grace to be shared, not just received and hoarded. Just like the Master equipped and charged His disciples to bear fruit by making other disciples, we are similarly equipped and charged.

What have we done with His power? What are we doing today with His charge? What are we doing with His “Whom shall I send?” question? Could we bring our hands together and pray for spiritual fertility and fruitfulness in our lives? Could we ask for the courage to let go of our worthless idols—whatever they may be—and cling to the grace that Christ offers? Could we pray for our hands to no longer put the Holy Spirit on a leash in order that we might indiscriminately engage the people (family, friends, foes, etc.) with whom God has purposefully selected to populate our lives? Could we pray that we might write to tell others about Christ; touch someone with the grace of the gospel; wipe away the stain of bitterness from a co-worker through the forgiveness of Christ; plant seeds of gracious hope and spiritual growth in the life of an orphan, a wayward father, a homeless traveler, a broken-hearted divorcee, a self-identified gay individual seeking equal rights, those fallen prey to sexual predators, or those covered with shame? Could we pray that our own hearts will remain so attached to the Vine of Christ that we will go from fruitfulness to even more fruitfulness?

Easter is all about new growth—death has died in Christ; eternal life has risen in Christ! The Cross is no longer an object of scorn and derision; it has become the one and only tree that bears the fruit of life. The tomb that housed the soaked bulb of heaven on Friday could not contain the Son of God on Sunday. As promised, divine power was unleashed and the path of everlasting life opened to all who believe in the One the Father has sent. 

Christ is risen!

He is risen, indeed!

The tomb is empty forever.

The Kernel of Heaven has sprouted.

The Firstborn from among the dead is alive.

Fruitfulness reigns!

The Risen Savior fills the emptiness of our hearts, mends the brokenness of our souls, strengthens the feebleness of our limbs, and elevates the lowliness of our estate. He is the EVERYTHING who can take our nothing in order to make it grow into something valuable for His glory!

Lord Jesus, we thank You for coming to earth, for being born of a woman, for growing up in wisdom and stature and favor with God and people, for going to the temple as a 12-year old boy to discuss God’s Word with the teachers of the law, for basing Your ministry on prayer, for teaching Your disciples how to pray, for training us in righteousness, for being the Vine that produces fruitfulness, for dying and rising again, and for calling us to go wherever You send us and make disciples of all nations. Yet, we often lazily sit and relax instead of going. When we do go, the message we broadcast often metamorphoses into a far weaker potion. Instead of truly bearing fruit, we cultivate seedless grapes. As we spend time reflecting on Your resurrection today, convict and challenge us to rely on Your grace, to remain attached to Your Vine, to bear fruit of Your spirit, to extend Your mercy to others, and to live out the Great Commission in our own corners of the world. We pray in the name of Jesus. Amen!