The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ is the anchor of our Christianity. Jesus wanted to be sure that His resurrection was real and not a hoax, so he planted some seeds. He did this after His human death: “But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (John 20:11-18).
These were the instructions given to Mary Magdalene by Jesus in the garden near His tomb. Mary thought that He was the gardener at first, but soon she realized that this was Jesus speaking to her. This message sent by Jesus to the disciples, marks the beginning of the realization by them of the Resurrection.
By making it clear that His Father is our Father and that His God is our God, Jesus ties the knot on our eternal relationship. He is now no longer in danger and the promise is that if we turn to Him, we are in God’s care also. The beautiful part about the resurrection story is that we can make it our story today. We can have the new life that Jesus talks about.
We can participate as a receiver of the good news and as a deliverer of it like Mary in this story. We can experience the same love and grace from God as if we ourselves were there looking into the empty tomb and hearing the words from the gardener who turns out to be Jesus himself. We can run and tell others of the miracle of Christ’s ascension and His connecting us with God our Father and His Father forever.
This Christianity is an inclusive thing. We have a connection with God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. No burnt offerings or other special requirements are needed. We must only turn to Him and accept His love and grace. In the business world there is something called the “golden parachute.” This is a well-funded retirement package for the highly compensated that ensures quality of life for the rest of the retiree’s life. God gives all of us a gift that ensures quality of eternal life.
Father God, Thank You for being my friend for eternity. Getting to know You better every day forever is hard to get used to, but I think I’m going to like it. Thank You in Jesus’ name. AMEN.