In the first of what I hope will be a regular feature, Eve Lockett has written a thought for the day for us.
Upside-Down Lives
It’s more than likely that you are feeling as if the world has gone a bit topsy-turvy at the moment.
Teenagers are being told to remain indoors and stay on social media.
Adults have become obsessed with their phones, their ipads and their computers.
Older folk are being warned that it’s safer to live on their own than with their families.
Young people are telling their parents not to go out and about or hang out with friends.
Environmentalists are seeing a reduction in carbon emissions and aeroplanes are grounded.
People are thanking each other for crossing the road and avoiding them.
Only one thing has changed – coronavirus – and it seems to have changed everything.
Some of the things that Jesus taught were enough to turn the world upside down. Like ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you’ and ‘Anyone who believes in me will live, even though they die.’
But what really turned the world upside down was the cross.
The cross was meant to be a sign of disgrace, the mark of a failed rebellion against the law and majesty of the Roman Empire. In religious terms it carried the stigma that the crucified person was out of favour with God.
And yet Christians see in the cross the sign of victory – victory over sin and death and all that divides us from God. And instead of being abandoned by God, it is the sign that nothing can ever separate us from his love in Jesus.
On Easter Day the world changed for ever. Jesus rose from the dead. The empty tomb was the sign that the world would never be the same again.
The disciples of Jesus were so convinced that he had risen from the dead, they wanted everyone to know and to share in the good news. But some people were not so pleased. The disciples were accused of making trouble, of ‘turning the world upside down’, and trying to upset the system of government. And it’s true that wherever they went, people’s lives were changed as they turned to receive the forgiveness and love of God.
So it may feel at the moment that everything is upside down, and nothing is quite normal. But the true normal is still the same. Jesus is risen from the dead. And as we believe and trust in him, we discover that he offers us life in his name.
If you are curious or interested in exploring more about the claim that Jesus is alive, you might like to join our online Alpha course…
Eve Lockett.