Episode 84: Take Heart: The Hope Of Sunday

Happy Holy Week, listeners! For the last two seasons of the podcast, we’ve always done a special Easter episode. And although we didn’t originally plan it this way, each of these episodes have walked us sequentially through Easter Weekend. In our first season, we focused on Good Friday and what trials and suffering can teach us. In Season 2, we focused on Saturday and what it means to trust as we wait for God to move. So, it only makes sense that this year, we focus on Resurrection Sunday! Tune in this week as Lisa shares the hope we can find in the empty tomb and the victory we have in our risen Savior, no matter what we are going through. Jesus has overcome it all. Hallelujah! 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Hello, and welcome to the Her Salad Crown Podcast. I'm your host, Lisa Banama, and I can't wait to dig into Gab's truth with you today. Let's get grounded. Well, friends, happy Holy Week. It's been kind of a tradition around here that the Tuesday before Easter, we always do a devotion dedicated to Easter week. And it wasn't really originally planned this way, but what we've done has kind of fallen into a sequential order of the Easter weekend. So in our first season of the podcast, we focused on Good Friday and talked a lot about what trials and suffering can teach us. And then last year, which was season two, we focused on Saturday, the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter morning. And we talked about what it means to trust as we wait for God to move. So it only made sense that here in our third season, we would focus on Resurrection Sunday. And I mean, honestly, this is the easiest one to talk about, isn't it? I mean, Sunday is the best news ever. It's when God defeats sin and death, and it's the victory day. It's the victory we can stand on, especially when everything else around us feels uncertain. And it's a good reminder that, you know, I once heard someone say that as Christians, we live in victory, not for victory, or we live from victory, not for victory. And that is really, that's the good news of the gospel is that Easter Sunday is the reason why we have hope, no matter what is going on in our lives. And it really is the best part of the gospel message. And we sometimes really minimize that. You know, you look at the way Easter celebrated compared to Christmas, and it's it's almost like, you know, somehow has dissolved into springtime celebration when really it is the cornerstone of our faith. I mean, if if Jesus didn't die and defeat death and rise again, we would not have salvation, you know? And so I don't want us to minimize the importance of this Sunday. And so we have to be careful. And I know we've all heard the cute sayings that it's, you know, not about the bunny and not about the Easter baskets. And yet I do think that somehow we do reduce it to that sometimes. That celebration is fun. Food, candy, all of that is fun. Getting dressed up is fun. But really, what we need to make sure we are focused on is that this Sunday changed literally everything. Absolutely everything. And so to kind of honor that, I wanted to start this episode out with scripture and what the scripture teaches us about the empty tomb and the resurrection. Just to honor the importance of this day and what it means, Resurrection Sunday, and just to help us center our hearts and and soften our hearts to the importance of it all. So I want us to turn to chapter 20 of the Gospel of John. I'm going to be reading verses 1 through 10 of the ESV version. And you can actually find the account of the empty tomb and the resurrection in all of the Gospels. But I really wanted to focus on this particular piece of scripture from John for a couple of reasons, which we'll talk about in a minute. And just to lay a bit of the groundwork here, um, this is the third day that after Jesus has died. So he was crucified on the cross and died. And then the Saturday, it was a day of waiting, right? There was it was quiet, it was Sabbath for the Jewish people, and now where our scripture will pick up is the morning of Sunday when Mary Magdalene is heading to the tomb. Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him. So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloth lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloth lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed, for as they yet did not understand the scripture that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes. Again, that was John 20, verses 1 through 10 from the ESP version. And I notice several things about this scripture that I wanted to point out. The first one is a little bit of, I think, God's sense of humor. Um it is the Gospel of John, and in this description, it is well known that it was Simon Peter and John were the two disciples described in this passage and are the ones that Mary told and that went to the tomb first. And it's funny if you read through the scripture, you see a little bit of John's personality, and I just think that's fun to think about. First of all, he he always describes himself as the one whom Jesus loved. So he loves to claim that um throughout his gospel. And also just a little bit of like racing that's happening. If you would notice that um John includes the detail that although him and Simon Peter were running together, that he got to the tomb first. In fact, he tells us twice in this paragraph. And so I just think that's a little bit funny to uh just to notice that um John's personality and even just the Lord's sense of humor that he allowed this to be in Scripture. But of course, also the other thing that I noticed is just that there is a lot of running going on. You know, we see Mary running to Simon Peter and John, and we see Simon Peter running to the tomb. And I think that that tells us something. You know, I looked up the Greek word here used for run, and it was defined as in haste or in great effort, and even in the sense of like running a race. And so what we see here is there was like a sense of urgency and anticipation and excitement that they were just passionately running toward each other and toward the tomb. And remember that prior to this, the disciples had been in hiding. You know, after Jesus' death, there was a lot of tension happening. And so the disciples were in hiding. So the boldness that was rising up in them for them to run to the tomb, you already see what God is doing in their hearts as they start to understand and unpack what has actually occurred. And then that is the second thing I noticed here is that in these particular verses, we see that neither Mary nor Peter nor John fully grasped what had happened here. You know, they knew that Jesus had died, they knew now that the tomb was empty, but they didn't have a full understanding of what had actually occurred. And I love that because I do think that says something to us about our own human brains, and that even when the answer seems right in front of us, and even when we have learned it, right, they had forgotten what the scriptures had taught them. That it just takes us a minute sometimes for God to kind of reveal things to us. And so we have to be patient with ourselves. This is just the limitations of us as humans to not fully understand the ways of God. And so in his timing, he reveals that understanding to us. And then the last thing I noticed here is just the intentionality of God and of specifically Jesus, right? You see that Jesus left the linens behind, right? He even had some of the linens folded neatly. And the reason was for this was we can assume, you know, I guess we don't really fully know, but what a lot of Bible scholars believe is that the linens were left so that no one would think that Jesus would be taken. So that he did not was not stolen, but that he had arisen from the dead. And, you know, because if you're stealing a body, quote unquote, or someone has taken a body, you're kind of doing it on the on the down low, right? You're like trying to quickly get out of there. No one's gonna take the time to unwrap the body and leave the linens behind. You wouldn't think to do that. But here, God has very purposefully laid the linens in the tomb and even had Jesus take the time to have them folded. Unless maybe an angel folded them, who knows, right? But it's just the intentionality and that little detail for God to just make sure, just in case you're still doubting, here's something that shows you that I rose from the dead. I was not taken. And even the detail of Simon, Peter, and John being there is is intentional because back then you needed two witnesses for evidence to be admissible under Jewish law. And so you see just God moving in this, Mary running to two disciples, two disciples coming and seeing and witnessing the empty tomb. It basically legitimizes the empty tomb, right? It it validates the evidence. And so God knew that that would be necessary. And of course, also if it was under Jewish law, he is being um uh respectful of the Jewish law, right? And so you just see the way he is so intentionally working to communicate to everyone that this was real, that he rose from the dead, that scripture has been fulfilled, that prophecy has been fulfilled, and that he is alive and Jesus is sitting up at the right hand of God the Father, just like he said. And I just love noticing these little details because I do think that God uses them to tell us more about himself and his character and even the way he moves in our lives. And then, of course, we also can relate to the story because I'm sure we can see our ourselves a little bit in in the disciples or or Mary Magdalene. I mean, how often do we not understand what God is doing? Like, how often do we know what we believe, right? Just like it says John both saw and believed, yet he did not understand the fullness of what was happening. And so often I think that is what happens for many of us. We we as Christians can see a circumstance and we can believe that God is working, but we don't fully understand it. And um, what this scripture shows us is that our God is a promise keeper and that he will keep his promise to redeem and restore all things. All things, whatever that is, or whatever that looks like in our lives. Our job is to trust him, even in our confusion, even in our doubt, even when we don't get it. And honestly, what I have found in my life is the more that I trust him in those spaces, the more he kindly and slowly reveals that understanding to us. Right? He only he almost like opens our eyes to the victory and the loss. He opens our eyes to the beauty and the grief and even the hope and the confusion. Like this is the power of Jesus in our lives. And I'm sure you've seen that play out, right? You know, you see that like the community that that rises up in the tragedy, or the kind word that is spoken to you at just the right time when you're struggling, or even when you're sitting in the pew and the sermon feels like it was written just for you. You see God revealing himself to us. The more we trust in him, the more we run to him, believe, and just trust him in the confusion, the more he opens our eyes to the goodness that he has for us either in that very moment or as we go through a situation. It's like the more we open our hearts, the more he opens our eyes. And it doesn't always work out that way, though. I mean, initially at least. The trust is the most important part of the equation here. I mean, God did his part and accomplished everything on the cross, but then it's on us to trust in that and to hope in that, even when what's in front of us doesn't make sense. And I can think of a story in which this really played out in my life several years ago. We lost our family pet. She was hit by a car in front of our home and in front of our whole family. And my children were still pretty small at that point, and it was very traumatic for all of us. And it was one of those times in my life where I wouldn't have expected this to be a faith shaker in me, but it was. It it rocked my faith because for the first time in my life, I could not understand the goodness that could come out of a situation. You know, I can see sometimes even in losing a loved one or even in sickness, you can often see the beauty that comes out of those situations. A lot of times you see, again, that community showing up or just a sense of love and comfort that you feel. And because this was a pet, it didn't quite carry the same weight. You know, we weren't going to have a funeral, and you know, people weren't going to be sending us cards or bringing us meals, right? So, but at the same time, you know, anyone who has owned a pet knows, like, this is a part of your family. And because she, you know, my children were little and we expected to have her for most of their childhood, it was really unexpected and it was really upsetting. And watching my children's heartbreak and knowing that they had to see that happen, it really made it hard for me to grasp the purpose in it, to be perfectly honest. And God, in his utter kindness, knew, of course, that this was going to occur. And so he already had placed something in my life that would require me to really wrestle with it. And I had actually gotten asked to speak at a women's event on a brand new topic. And that topic was keeping in step with the spirit. And I knew I had to write it, and this was in the midst of this loss. And so God basically gave me a homework assignment where I had to really work through scripture. And, you know, I never want to present something that I don't feel is true. And so it really forced me to take a close look in the mirror about what I believed and where my faith was in this moment. And so after working it out with the Lord, I knew that in order to be authentic in what I was going to share, I needed to live it out. And so what I decided to do was to go on a walk, um, a prayer walk with the Lord. And it was the path that I usually took when I walked our dog. And so I decided to take that walk without her, obviously, but with the Lord. And, you know, it was really easy to pray because as I walked, I became immediately aware of the fact that my hands were empty, right? I wasn't holding a dog leash. And so I folded my hands and I walked and talked to the Lord, and I ended up actually crying quite a bit. And as I was walking, I passed a home that I saw oftentimes when I walked, but I never actually had spoken to anyone there. And I did like a one around the cul-de-sac, and as I was coming up, a car was pulling into that driveway. And she pulled over to the side. Now, granted, I'd never talked to this woman before. I had seen her like in the yard and she waved a couple times. We've never had a conversation. And sure enough, you know, she asked me, huh, where's your dog? I noticed you haven't been going for walks lately. And I thought, okay, really? This is it. And so I took off my sunglasses and she could see that I was crying, and I just told her what happened, and she was like, I am so sorry. I just lost my dog last year. I know how much this hurts. People don't get it unless they get it, but I just want you to know that I understand. And I just remember being there, thinking in my head, Lord, you are so good. You know, you know where I was at a couple days ago, and here I am walking in faith and in trust in you. And you give me a person to like a human person, a fleshly person to comfort me on what was a very difficult walk for me to take. And so it was that our conversation ended, and she kind of like patted me on the shoulder, and it was really, really beautiful and sweet. And I continued the walk home. Well, two hours later, I maybe it might have been two or three hours later, later in the day, I, you know, had a good cry again when I got home. And after my kids got home from school, a door our doorbell rang. And sure enough, it was this woman with beautiful flowers from like a flower shop, not like the ones you get from the grocery store, with a card attached. And she said, I cannot get you out of my mind. I really just I needed to get you something to show you how sorry I am. And she's like, I won't keep you, you know, but I just wanted to to leave this for you. And I brought it inside and I opened up the card and she wrote the nicest, most encouraging message. And it was like, This is this is just God. Like the fact is I never met this woman before. And not only did God use her to comfort me during that walk, but then she went above and beyond to give me these beautiful flowers, and it's such a picture to me of the abundance of God and the way he will just love on us if we just trust him. That is the power of Christ in us, that is the power of the resurrection, that is the power of the empty tomb, is because Jesus died and rose again, we have hope that we have a redeemer who will redeem it all. Whether on this side of heaven or on the other side of heaven, the truth is that God overcame sin and death, and the victory has been won. Jesus wins. This is not the end. Whatever your this is right now, whatever hard thing, whatever confusing situation that you're dealing with right now, it's not the end. Jesus wins, so we win. All will be restored. Revelation 21, verse 4. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. This is our hope that we have on Sunday. This is the victory we proclaim on Easter morning. This is why no matter what we're going through, we know that God will redeem it and that someday all things will be made new. There will be no more death or tragedies, no more political tension, no more corruption, no more cancer, no more betrayals, no more racism, no more chronic pain. This is why Easter matters. This is why the resurrection matters. Our God has defeated death. Jesus on the cross took on the sins of the world. Your sin, my sin, the sin of the worst person that you can think of, and he paid the debt. This is our hope. It doesn't promise us an easy life, but it does give us the peace that God is in control, that he is all powerful, and that he is the hero of our story. Jesus clearly tells us that in this world we will have trouble. But then he reminds us that we can take heart. He has overcome it all. Trust in that. Trust in him. Even when you are confused about what he is doing, just keep running to him. And even if you can't see him in the midst of your pain and confusion, trust that he is exactly where he promised he would be, sitting right next to the Father, praying on your behalf. And because of the Holy Spirit, he is as close as your very breath. God displayed his love on the cross, but he gave us hope. With the empty tomb. His victory is our victory now. And how that victory plays out, well, it's going to look different depending on how he is moving in your life. Sometimes we will rise in his power, and other times we will simply rest in his presence. And someday we will experience the ultimate victory, and we too will rise again in our bodies, our new bodies, to live forever with Jesus in a new heaven and in a new earth. We have hope because we have Jesus. He is risen. Hallelujah. Let's pray. Oh Heavenly Father, we just come before you today, humbled by your power and your majesty, Lord. You are the victor in the story. You are our hero. You are the one who sent your son to not only die on the cross and take on our sin, but then rose him from the grave, overcoming death and sin, so that we could be victorious in you. What an amazing gift you have given us, Lord. What hope we have, Lord. Help us to remember that, Lord, that when we face circumstances or tragedy or pain or just confusing things that don't seem to have any purpose, may we run to you. May we run to you, Lord, and may we just trust that you are moving and working and that you truly are the redeemer of all things. And that in your time you will make all things new, that you will restore every circumstance, that you have goodness in store for each and every one of us, even in the midst of our sorrow, Lord. Help us to trust in your goodness and in your power. Lord, help us to take heart and remember that you have overcome the world. We love you and we thank you, and we praise you and worship you this week, Lord, as we remember what you did for us on the cross, and we celebrate what you did for us with the empty tomb. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Okay, listeners, take heart. Sunday is coming and our Savior is alive. He alone is our solid ground.