Risen From What?

SUN., (EASTER) APR. 7, 1985, 5:58 AM
FARM. STUDY

Easter morning… cool and gray. It is the morning of triumph, the celebration of new life. Jesus Christ is risen! This sounds wonderful, but what does it mean? Risen from what? To what? Hear an off-beat Easter story, told by One who was there.

Human persons, individually and in groups, can be loving, giving, understanding… true to the fact of being My creations. Almost at the same time, human persons can be selfish, short-sighted, hateful, inconsiderate… and I came, as Jesus, to save such persons. I, as Almighty God, chose a people, made Myself known to them in persistent and dramatic ways. I rewarded and I punished, for they remained wonderful and awful even in their chosenness.

They welcomed Me as a triumphal leader, and then later in the week they irrationally cried, “Crucify him.” And so I carried My cross, and I died, hanging upon it. I was buried, in body, but My Spirit was freed from its bodily connection, and I did move among other spirits who had died in sin. Then came the resurrection, and My soul and body ascended from the grave. In defeat, it was another triumph.

Yet the Scriptural story tells that I returned to the earth again, in body, but not limited to the conditions of human life. Then I arose again. I ascended into heaven to await My Second Coming. Yet in all of this intervening time persons have seen Me, have spoken with Me, and have had close relationship with Me. Your son, Peter, saw Me, and he knew that he was Mine, no matter how he lived… or died.

Then at Pentecost I came again, as the Holy Spirit, and I have been active in the world ever since, but without any visible body. You know, from these many Teachings I have given to you, that I am a full, vibrant personality, and My lack of a body gives Me the freedom I need to help many and diverse persons. Risen from what? From a needy but non appreciative earth, that’s what. And then what? Back to this non-appreciative but needy earth, to those who seek Me, those who don’t even those who reject Me.

You saw a film last evening that told a story with an interesting parallel to Mine. Rocky was imperfect in body, grossly so. Yet his mind and his spirit were at the best… a highly developed spirit that could bring many to see how beautiful spirit can be. Why couldn’t he go on to conquer the short-sightedness and smallness of those who rejected him on his physical appearance? Why couldn’t I overcome the myopia of the leaders of My people? He could have. And so could I. Why then?

Rocky took his life, but obviously some whom he touched in his short time here remembered and have told his story. This film is a means for millions of persons to know of this wonderful young man, who also was a freak of nature. And perhaps, in this small way, some will be more accepting of and loving toward those who depart from the “normal”.

There are many ways to exhibit the beauty and maturity of spirit. Each day each of you has numerous opportunities to rise up from thoughtless, malicious, or even expected behavior and show forth My love, the love of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to some who need it. It is important to live life fully, and to value this life.