Reading:
Matthew 28:1-20
"And behold I am with you always, to the end of the age."
On Good Friday, all looked lost. The One that the disciples thought would be the one to set them all free was nailed to a cross between two thieves. All seemed over and fear gripped the disciples as they tried to make sense of what they had experienced over the week of Christ's Passion. They saw them remove the Body, they knew that He was a placed in the tomb.
But thanks be to God, that was not the end of the story. The sacrifice was offered and now Jesus Christ would be the One to take His life back again. So He is resurrected, never to die again. He tells those that have seen Him after the resurrection, "do not be afraid!" We do not have to fear Jesus because He is the One that was sent to restore us with our Heavenly Father. The angel reminds the women that he is risen as he said. You see Jesus keeps His promises.
So when He says that He will be with us always, He means it. He continues to be present among us in Word and Sacrament. These are the means of grace that He left to His Church so that she could give them to each of us. These life giving tokens of God's grace and mercy to a fallen world. We do not have to try to climb to some spiritual height to get to Jesus, no rather He continues to come to us and seek us out. So it is in the Ark of the Church that we continue to be near Jesus and have His presence in Word and Sacrament given to us each week.
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