Rise and Vine

Today is they day!  New life begins today!  I find myself really pondering what it took to get to a place that can now be called resurrected life.

Difficulty...unjust circumstances, misunderstandings, harsh labeling and condemnation
A long walk down a dusty road. Loves choice makes death eminent and life is laid to rest
A wait...where all is dark and silent, not yet finished.
When Love's work is done the stone gives way and life emerges.  Life that no longer bends to death and hatred's blow.
Life that offers inheritance to the King's treasury...Love's redemptive work!
Abundant and forever, mercy, justice and love...Heaven's resources now ours. If we so choose

Jesus has over come 
The grave is overwhelmed
Victory is won 
He has risen from the dead!
And I will rise when he calls my name 
Before my God fall on my knees ...and rise!

So what do we do?

Jesus offers this in John 15

 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;apart from me you can do nothing.....
.... 9“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

In returning to the wine theme used earlier this fall in several posts, I am struck by the invitation to "vine" with Christ.  Our only real hope for life begins with the simple, choice to unite ourselves with him and abide.

We take up our cross...
Willingly take in the difficulty that arises (whatever it is), walk the dusty road and lay to rest anything that postures itself against Christs' life in us.  We wait, mourn and grieve, letting silence and Saturday take it's course, while our heart of stone gives way to new life - life with abundant resources for love, ready for God's goodness to manifest, stubbornly resilient to death or hatred's blow.  It has found a great force, LOVE.

So my friends,  RISE and VINE - The King has come and He is awaiting our arrival.