Journey to the Cross 
Pause
“Look! God’s dwelling is here with humankind. He will dwell with them, and they will be his peoples. God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no mourning, crying, or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away… Look I’m making all things new.”
Revelation 21:3-5
God is making things new. God is renewing life through creation and renewing us through the resurrection of Jesus each and every day.
The question is not if renewal is happening around you, but how…
May we have eyes and hearts to see God’s presence moving in our lives.
Listen
Then Jesus did many other miraculous signs in his disciples’ presence, signs that aren’t recorded in this scroll. But these things are written so that you will believe that Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son, and that believing, you will have life in his name.
John 20:30-31
Think
At the heart of our Easter faith is the belief that we are given new life because of the resurrection of Jesus. Death has been conquered and lost its sting. Yes, we will all still pass through death, but death is no longer an end; it leads us to new life. And while this new life awaits us through death, we can still experience that peace and love of God now, that gives us new life.
This new life is available to each of us, if we open our hearts to allow Jesus in. God loves you so much that God has given us a pathway forward – through the pain we have experienced, the sorrow, the loneliness – into love and light by following Jesus. Today is the day to start anew. All you have to do is take that first step towards God and you will experience new life, both in this life and the next.
Rob Schoeck
Pray
God of the cross and empty tomb, you became human so that you might reconcile us, your beloved children, to you. By passing through death, you have conquered death and have freed us from the fears and anxieties of the unknown. Continue to fill me with your Spirit each and every day, so that I may continue to walk the way of love, the way of new life. Amen.
Go
God is working in your life to renew strength, renew hope, and renew life.
So today, choose to live into this Easter faith:
Let go of all that you are holding onto that does not give you life.
Live a life of faith rooted in love and joy, and not fear, so that you can be exactly who God made you to be.
And join God in the renewing of our world.
