March 31 at sundown - Day 1
Today is day 1 of counting the Omer
Today is day 1 out of Egypt
Today is day 1 of Messiah Resurrected
A New Hope (Matthew 28:1-9)
The Son Is Risen!
1 Now after Shabbat, as it began to dawn on the first day of the week, Miriam of Magdala and the other Miriam came to look at the tomb.
2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of Adonai descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.
3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.
4 And those keeping watch were shaken for fear of him and became like dead men.
5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know you are looking for Yeshua who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.
7 Go quickly now and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead. And behold, He’s going before you to the Galilee. There you will see Him. See, I have told you!”
8 They quickly left the tomb, with fear yet with great joy, and ran to bring news to His disciples.
9 And behold, Yeshua met them. “Shalom!” He said. They drew near, grasped his feet, and worshiped Him.
10 “Don’t be afraid,” Yeshua said to them. “Go tell My brothers to head for the Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
Reflect:
Miriam and Martha went to the tomb in a state of mourning. Their Lord had been unjustly
executed, and crucified on a cross as a criminal. His dead body was hastily thrown into a tomb
with not even enough time to prepare His body for a proper burial. Can you imagine the gloom
they felt? The pall of death had ushered in a sense of finality that all they had hoped for was
lost. I’m sure they supposed that seeing Yeshua’s dead body would be like placing a period at
the end of a very depressing sentence.
Have you ever felt this way—that your negative circumstances always have the same hopeless outcome? Do you feel this way about your struggles with addiction, with depression, with your marriage or career? Have you lost hope? Friends, if this text shows us anything it is that with God there is ALWAYS hope! When God’s resurrection power raised His Son from the dead, He gave us a new hope, one that even had mastery over death. As they left the tomb “with great joy,” He met them and encouraged them to not be afraid... Their Lord had risen; death itself could not extinguish the hope Yeshua wants to give us when we put our trust in Him. He wants us to take hold of the hope we have in Yeshua and allow it to transform the areas of our life where we feel defeated. Tapping into this hope will bring victory in our lives and glory to God!
Prayer: Lord, during this fifty days of counting the Omer let us be expectant that You will renew our hope. Help us experience the hope we have in Yeshua. Allow it to transform the areas of our life where we feel defeated. Remind us that we have a never-ending supply of hope that is available to us for the asking! Amen.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At Restoration, we have made it a priority to seek God first in prayer. During this season of counting of the Omer, we have decided to do this collectively as a congregation in the days leading up to Shavuot. Together, we want to trust in His power to impact our lives, our congregation, our city, and our world. The last 10 days we will encourage a corporate time of fasting and prayer, which starts the evening of May 9 and ends the evening of May 19. The conclusion of this season of prayer will culminate in a congregational picnic on the 50th day, the day of Shavuot - Sunday, May 20 at noon.
Have you ever felt this way—that your negative circumstances always have the same hopeless outcome? Do you feel this way about your struggles with addiction, with depression, with your marriage or career? Have you lost hope? Friends, if this text shows us anything it is that with God there is ALWAYS hope! When God’s resurrection power raised His Son from the dead, He gave us a new hope, one that even had mastery over death. As they left the tomb “with great joy,” He met them and encouraged them to not be afraid... Their Lord had risen; death itself could not extinguish the hope Yeshua wants to give us when we put our trust in Him. He wants us to take hold of the hope we have in Yeshua and allow it to transform the areas of our life where we feel defeated. Tapping into this hope will bring victory in our lives and glory to God!
Prayer: Lord, during this fifty days of counting the Omer let us be expectant that You will renew our hope. Help us experience the hope we have in Yeshua. Allow it to transform the areas of our life where we feel defeated. Remind us that we have a never-ending supply of hope that is available to us for the asking! Amen.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At Restoration, we have made it a priority to seek God first in prayer. During this season of counting of the Omer, we have decided to do this collectively as a congregation in the days leading up to Shavuot. Together, we want to trust in His power to impact our lives, our congregation, our city, and our world. The last 10 days we will encourage a corporate time of fasting and prayer, which starts the evening of May 9 and ends the evening of May 19. The conclusion of this season of prayer will culminate in a congregational picnic on the 50th day, the day of Shavuot - Sunday, May 20 at noon.
