God has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11) (emphasis, mine)
A similar note is heard in the phrase “God imparts ‘that of Himself’ into every human heart.” Someone noteworthy said that, and I’d like to cite them, but I don’t remember who they are and my searches have been fruitless. Nevertheless, the truth in that phrase is confirmed by Romans 1:18-20 :
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Highlights mine)
God has set the spark of “eternal things” in the human heart, as well as what we refer to as “that of Himself”. These are difficult concepts for many people, but when one remembers that we are created in His image and likeness they become easier. Does not the master artist leave “that of himself” in every created masterpiece? Every brush stroke, every splash of color, every bit of texture, every unique nuance and technique of composition can be recognized as being “of” that master. It speaks of who he is, what he’s done, his qualities, and his nature. Our Creator has left His “prints” on our inmost being and His signature on our souls. Let us not foolishly cover them over or suppress their truths by our rebellious selfishness. That can only leave an empty place – a profoundly aching void.
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Far from here, there are two other empty places. In a different sense they are not far, but close. Follow the dots on a map that designate the route (the way) to the empty cross where Jesus suffered horribly, or pick up the Bible beside you – the cross is right there close by. That cruel post and beam, being long empty of Jesus, was also the place of His profound emptiness on the darkest day. Can you imagine being completely alone in tremendous pain in the dark with no hope of rescue? Your loved ones – even those who’ve not turned their backs on you – can do nothing, and the one person you’ve always relied upon and trusted is nowhere to be found. You’re mocked, and abandoned and betrayed and forgotten. Empty. Like no one before nor since has been or ever will be . . .
Soon after, the cross itself would be emptied of His lifelessness, to stand alone, a timeless symbol of the selfless act of love, without which, we Christians would be empty of life. But there’s more. Follow the path from the cross to the place where our Saviour Lord was entombed. It’s not far, but it is a dark and lonely walk on the darkest day, for the Beloved is dead. All hope is lost. What was it He told us? In our desolation, we’ve forgotten . . .
But the tomb’s seal is broken. The burdensome stone is rolled to the side. His body is not inside. The empty clothing says He Is Risen in concert with the angel’s “He is not here”! In shock, we jump back as the whispering of ten thousand wings of light radiate out the door from a point inside, spreading in an expanding cone like that of a megaphone or the bell of a horn. It’s the beginning of a small hope being amplified and multiplied. (He told us we would see Him in Galilee)
There is a symbol in mathematics meaning “greater than”:
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That is what the expanding hope of the empty tomb looks like. The hope of Jesus resurrected and alive is indeed greater, more than, and far better than anything that has happened so far. That hope is still flaring out, having been proclaimed first by the eyewitnesses – the men and women who first saw – and thereafter by the people who heard from them directly by their spoken and written words.
I am but one small voice in the vast cone of the ray of expanding hope of the living Jesus. I ask you to join in if you’re not here already. For as many as received Him and believed in Him, He gave them the right to become the children of God!
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The cross and the tomb are empty. Like the open tomb, the sacred inner temple of the Kingdom of Heaven also stands open, its thick barrier curtain torn apart because of Jesus’ loving sacrifice. The three Persons of the Trinity invite us inside. God has left the invitation on your heart and in your soul. It is an eternal one. It comes from “That of Himself”! Please let us not ignore that wonderful invitation, or set it aside. It is clear as the light of day and we are without excuse.
Happy Resurrection Sunday, dear reader!
Be filled with the Expanding Hope of Christ Jesus,
For, He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
With love,
Your Gloryteller
Alone in the Rockies.
Gloryteller 