EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 9, 2023
“Visible Still Today”
Luke 5:27-32
Pastor Rob Harding
He said to them, “Why are you troubled,
and why do doubts rise in your minds?
Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself!”
Luke 24:38-39
On this Easter morning, we turn initially, interestingly enough, to fear and doubt. As Jesus appears to his disciples following the resurrection, this indeed is where it all begins. With that before us, there are two things I want you to consider.
One, Jesus doesn’t condemn them for their doubt, nor will that ever be the case for us. Two, Jesus responds to their doubts primarily by attempting to prove to them that it’s him, pointing them specifically to his hands and feet and the wounds they find there.
When faith is real, doubts will come. When they come, God hopes to assuage them in the same way Jesus did in that moment: by making the Risen One visible to us.
Often when I need it most, I’ll find myself in a conversation that leads me to hear God’s voice so distinctly. Or often when I need it most, I’ll find myself in a situation that leads me to see God’s presence with me so clearly. When that happens, the wounds on his “hands and feet” – the reality of his death and resurrection – are made real to me in ways that allow my faith to swallow up fear and doubt.
On this Easter morning, ponder God’s presence in your life and the way He truly is made visible to you this day. He is Risen!
Prayer: Loving God, if we but look for You, we will see You in our midst. Open our eyes this day to the wonder of Your presence. Amen.