March 29th, 2024: Resurrected Lives

A young man found himself on the streets after losing his mother to a car accident and being abandoned by his father for another woman. On a freezing winter night, he sought shelter in the back seat of a car. Awoken by the sound of ice scraping, he discovered the owner to be one of his former teachers, who took him in and shared the story of Jesus with him for the first time.

Similarly, a young single mother raising three boys from three different fathers encountered a chaplain while working at a furniture company. Recognizing her love for her children, the chaplain supported her in completing high school and pursuing her dream of becoming a nurse. Despite the challenges, he encouraged her to embrace her worth as one of Jesus's beloved, spurring her to persevere and enter a nursing program.

Now, the once-homeless young man serves as a pastor, spreading love instead of harboring hatred for his father, while the single mother fulfills her role as a nurse on a geriatric unit. Their transformative journeys embody the essence of Easter, symbolizing forgiveness, restoration, and liberation through Jesus's death and resurrection.

As Isaiah 53:4-6 eloquently states: "Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering... by his wounds we are healed... the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."