|
"Why
do you look for the living among the dead? He is not
here; he has risen!”
Luke 24:5b & 6a
IS
YOUR CHRIST DEAD?
You may be familiar with an
interesting anecdote about Martin Luther. He preached again
and again that Christ is alive and at our side every day.
But he was also subject to periods of depression and
discouragement. On one such occasion his wife, Katie,
dressed herself in mourning apparel and fixed a sorrowful
expression on her face. When Luther saw Katie apparently
overwhelmed with sorrow, he was anxious.
“What has happened?” he asks.
“Alas, the dear Lord is
dead,” she replied.
“What nonsense,” he said.
“You know that God lives and cannot die.”
“Is that possible?” she
exclaimed. “I thought surely He must be dead since you seem
so distressed.”
Then Luther smiled and said,
“You are right. I should not be so sad because God—who has
been, is, and will be—is always the same, loving God.”
We may believe that Jesus
Christ rose from the grave, but often we don’t act that
way. We moan about all the problems in the world.
Selfishness dominates our thoughts and actions. How can we
be alive in Christ when we act as though He were dead?
Katie Luther was wiser than
many of us. In a comical way she reminded her husband that
Christ does live, no matter how sad we may feel. He did
rise from the grave, just as surely as He mounted the ugly
cross to take away our sins. He is with us always as He
promised. That never changes.
Prayer: O risen Christ, live
in my heart each day according to Your baptismal promise.
Amen.
(Devotion from “My Daily
Devotion” by Stephen J. Carter) |
