Luke 24:32  They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?

The men on the road to Emmaus were in a quandary. They thought that Jesus of Nazareth was a great prophet who was going to redeem Israel; however, their Jewish rulers handed Him over to the Romans to be crucified. Now, they were hearing stories that Jesus was no longer in the grave, that He was alive. They weren't certain what to believe.

Then the stranger walking with them (who was actually Jesus Himself) opened the Scriptures to them and explained how the Old Testament prophets had foretold the very events that had just taken place. Later, when Jesus shared a meal with them, their eyes were opened and they recognized Him. After finally comprehending the truth, they marveled, "Were not our hearts burning within us?"

Salvation comes to us as the Holy Spirit works faith in us through the Word and through the gift of Baptism. We may not necessarily feel a "burning in our hearts," but we may be assured that we are saved by faith, not by feeling.

Just as Jesus appeared and spoke to the men at a time when they were seeking the truth, so also will He "appear: to us as we seek Him through His Holy Word.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

Luke 23:43  Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with Me in paradise.

Blink your eyes. That went quickly, didn't it. Did the darkness during the blink bother you? I doubt it. "What darkness?" you might ask.

As children of God, His very own, redeemed by Christ Jesus, we are never away from Him. He is always with us. In Him there is no darkness at all. We can be in one of two places: earth or heaven. There is no "in between" with God. There is no waiting period at death to enter heaven. The transfer is immediate.

Jesus' assuring words to the thief on the cross are His words to every Christian staring death in the face: truth, today, paradise. The psalmist writes, "When I awake I am still with You" (Psalm 139:18). So it will be with us.

When Jesus ascended into heaven He said, "Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). Each day He assures us, "Today I am with you," until finally one day He will tell us, "Today you are with Me in paradise." As Christians, we live a blink away from eternity. May He make us ever ready for that great day when we are translated from here to eternity.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

John 20:17  Go to My brothers and say to them, "I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God."

It's the most utterly vile and cruel death ever invented - crucifixion. Jesus felt the Roman whip on His back, the blazing sun while He carried His crosspiece, the thorns on His head, and the nails in His hands and feet. For six hours, Jesus hung on a Roman instrument of shame and death. They all mocked Hi. Soldiers. Scribes. Chief priests. Elders. Pharisees. Sadducees.

Three days later, the angels ask the women, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" Then this cry rocked the world: "He is not here, but has risen." John outruns Peter to the tomb, looks in, and believes. Jesus says, "Mary," and Mary Magdalene cries out, "Rabboni!" The Emmaus disciples recognize the risen Christ in the breaking of the bread. Sin is forgiven. The grave is defeated. Death is dead. "I know that my Redeemer lives!"

People saw Jesus - literally. They didn't see a phantom or experience a sentiment. Funeral eulogies often include phrases such as "She'll always live on in my heart." "I'll remember him forever." The disciples never said that. That's because they saw Jesus, and He had a body - a body marked with scars.

Jesus didn't rise from the dead and then leave in secret. He appeared to more than five hundred people on ten different occasions! Jesus was physically and factually risen from the dead. That's why, like Mary Magdalene, we announce Christ's victory to the world!
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

John 17:17  Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

God's Word of truth gets people safely through life's storms. Isn't that the message of the Bible? God's Word of truth getting His people safely through life's unpredictable, ferocious, and sometimes hellish storms? For Abraham and Sarah, it was a storm called infertility. For Moses, it was a storm called slavery and then another storm called forty years in the desert. For David, it was Mr. Storm himself - Goliath. Jesus prayed the prayer recorded in John 17, because His disciples were about to suffer a Category 5 storm on Good Friday - the Savior's mock trials, suffering, crucifixion, and death.

God's Word guides us in chaos, calms us in suffering, assures us in life's darkest hours. That's really good news! Why? Because we're all in some kind of storm. What's yours? Are you raising teenagers? Did you lose the love of your life? Are finances tight? What about your health? Is old age getting the best of you?

Are you hurting? Christ hurt. Are you bleeding? Christ bled. Do you feel like you're gasping for air? Christ gasped for air. Are you crying? Christ cried. Is your heart breaking? Christ's heart was absolutely broken. You are never alone in your storm!
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

John 17:11 Holy Father, keep them in Your name.

"What's in a name?" This question was made famous by William Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet. Juliet wistfully wonders, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." It doesn't matter that Romeo is from the rival family named Montague. What's in a name? For Juliet - absolutely nothing.

Jesus disagrees. He asks His Father to keep the Church "in Your name." Yahweh is God's name in the Old Testament - though it appears as "Lord" in Engl;ish Bibles. God tells us what His name means. "The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness" (Exodus 34:6).

Recall what the Israelites had just done - worshiped a golden ca;f. How does God respond to Israel's idolatry? our idolatry? our worship of money, possessions, jobs, youth - you name it. Does God scold us? shame us? reject us? condemn us? No! He reveals His name. It's a Gospel name! Mercy, grace, and faithfulness!

Jesus demonstrates this love by dying on the cross for you. Palm Sunday announces it. Maundy Thursday delivers it through Christ's true body and blood. Good Friday shows it. Easter Sunday celebrates it! Jesus saves from darkness and dread, from the devil, and from our last enemy - death. What's in a name? If we're talking about Yahweh, then that's easy. What's in the name of Yahweh? Absolutely everything!
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,
 

John 17:3  This is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Imagine taking a tribesman from Kenya and putting him in downtown Chicago without any lessons in English, American history, or the legacy of the Chicago Cubs. The poor man from Kenya would be lost in the dark. Everything would be strange, crazy, and insane!

Apart from knowing God, we are lost in the dark. Everything is strange, crazy, and insane! Disregard knowing God, and we sentence ourselves to stumbling through life blindfolded - with no sense of direction and no understanding of who we are or what anything is all about. If we don't know God, we waste our lives and lose our souls forever.

What does it mean, then, to know God? Is knowing God a quiver in my liver or an ocean of emotion? Is knowing God a dreamy, off-the-ground, floating feeling? Does knowing God take a special sort of intellect? Do I hear a voice? Do I see a vision?

None of the above. To know God is to know Jesus. Jesus shows us that, in spite of our selfishness, narcissism, and sin, God never gives up on us. When soldiers spat in His face, Jesus didn't give up. When a whip ripped open His back, Jesus didn't give up. When nails crushed His nerves, Jesus didn't give up. Come what may, come what may, God doesn't give up. God will never give up on you. To know that is to truly know God.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,

John 16:33  In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.

We call the first professional football games preseason games. These games are played in August when they don't count in the standings. Coaches use these games to evaluate newly signed players. Veteran players hardly play at all.

We call the first Major League Baseball games spring training games. These games are played in late February and March in Florida and Arizona. They don't count in the standings either. Coaches use these games to evaluate newly signed players, while veterans don't play that much.

In preseason and spring training games, even when you win, you really don't win. When you beat your opponent, you really don't beat your opponent. When you gain the victory, you really don't gain the victory. None of these games count.

Have you ever felt as though your life is like a preseason football game or a spring training baseball? that what you're doing really doesn't count? that even when you win, it really doesn't doesn't matter? that even when you work hard, at the end of the day, it all feels pointless? Are you looking for a victory that lasts, that has substance? Are you looking for real victory?

Then I have good news for you - really good news! Although we make evil decisions, say evil words, and think some really evil thoughts, Christ has won the great battle through His shed blood and empty tomb. The victory is ours. This is a settled fact, never to be altered.
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Helping people live life with Jesus everyday,