The risen Lord proclaims His victory over sin, over death, over the grave. There is no more weeping for those who believe. The victory and the sting of death have been conquered by Jesus Christ. Today we shout: The Lord is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!
Five hundred and fifty years earlier the prophet Zechariah foretold this parable in detail. God fulfills his promise. Jesus promised to prepare a place for us in his father’s house and then come back to take us to be with him. Today’s celebrations prepare us spiritually for Jesus’ return.
The Apostle Paul shows us how he valued the Lord Jesus’ presence in his life. He lost every earthly possession in order to dedicate himself exclusively to the Gospel. He is an apt example for us-on how we ought to think of earthly things.
We all fall short of God’s demands. We must rely on Christ for our own salvation. However, we are given the privilege to help our unbelieving neighbors to come to faith. We do that by praying for them and gently sharing our faith with them.
Jesus invites three of his disciples (Peter, James and John) so they can experience a glimpse of heaven. They recognize Moses and Elijah who were talking to Jesus about his exit from earth. Peter exclaimed: “It is good that we are here!”
Joseph had a hard time convincing his brothers that he had no ill will toward them. They had been jealous of him and sold him to a caravan of traders. He became a mighty man in command of Egypt. But he showed his brothers that he forgave them and saw that God had turned an evil thing into a good thing.