I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.” Apostle’s Creed
The season of Lent is almost over and the Second Article of the Apostle’s Creed reminds me of the joy of the empty tomb. Lazarus was in a tomb. Jesus was in a tomb. The tombs in the attached photo that was taken somewhere in between Roche Jabrouin and Les Cayes are filled with generations of Haitian families. You and I will in time end up in a tomb.
The final destination of our remains will probably not be in a tomb like the one that held the body of Lazarus, Jesus Christ or these families in Haiti…but when we draw our last breath our time of service will have come to an end.
Good news, “He is risen! He is risen indeed!” What a joyful realization those seven words hold for all believers. I heard a song recently titled ‘Shout to the Lord’ and that really sums up the thankful joy that should be filling our hearts as we consider the blessed reunion we have awaiting us. “My Jesus, my Savior, Lord there is none like You. All of my days I want to praise the wonders of Your mighty love. My comfort, my shelter, tower of refuge and strength. Let every breath, all that I am never cease to worship You. Shout to the Lord all the Earth, let us sing. Power and majesty praise to the King. Mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of Your name. I sing for joy at the work of Your hands. Forever I'll love You, forever I'll stand nothing compares to the promise I have in You.”
His resurrection has secured a place for all believers in Heaven. The Haitian road in the photo has a tee intersection and you have to make a choice; either to go left or right. I was not sure which way to turn and it made me stop and think about the tombs that were straight in front of my truck. Choice for many in Haiti; continue to believe the lies of the vodou priest or accept Jesus Christ. We have the same choice but the difference is we most likely have heard the news of the risen Savior and many in Haiti have only heard that Jesus died…period. Who do you believe in?
I want to close on this Holy Saturday with a story that Pastor Chuck Swindoll shared a week ago and it was about our choices of which way to go. The story is as follows; “The place? Dublin, Ireland. The time? Toward the end of the nineteenth century. The event? A series of blistering attacks on Christianity, especially the "alleged resurrection" of Jesus of Nazareth. The person? Thomas Henry Huxley. You remember Huxley. Devoted disciple of Darwin. Famous biologist, teacher, and author. Defender of the theory of evolution. Bold, convincing self-avowed humanist. Traveling lecturer.
Having finished another series of public assaults against several truths Christians held sacred, Huxley was in a hurry the following morning to catch his train to the next city. He took one of Dublin's famous horse-drawn taxis and settled back with his eyes closed to rest himself for a few minutes. He assumed the driver had been told the destination by the hotel doorman, so all he said as he got in was, "Hurry . . . I'm almost late. Drive fast!" The horses lurched forward and galloped across Dublin at a vigorous pace. Before long Huxley glanced out the window and frowned as he realized they were going west, away from the sun, not toward it. Leaning forward, the scholar shouted, "Do you know where you are going?" Without looking back, the driver yelled a classic line, not meant to be humorous, "No, your honor! But I'm driving very fast!" How many of the people in these tombs knew where they were going? Do you know without a doubt where you are going? There are still a lot of people who don’t. Are you going fast? Have you shared with another soul which way is the ONLY direction?
Thank you for helping to prepare His children in Haiti to take the truth about the ONLY direction to the ears that have not heard and remain lost and shut out of the eternal home in Heaven.
Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you…Jay