The Story Continues

From Resurrection to Relationship

We’ve just walked through the Gospel of John together.

From the very first invitation to “come and see,”

to the cross…

to the silence…

to the empty tomb.

Jesus is alive!

This feels like a moment to slow down and really take it in…to let it settle in us, instead of moving too quickly past it.

Because the resurrection isn’t the end of the story.

It’s just the beginning.

I’ll be honest…this journey has been really personal for me.

My husband and I pastored for many years, and if I’m being real, the big holidays like Christmas and Easter often came with pressure. There were expectations (whether real or perceived) to provide something meaningful, to create something impactful, to make it special.

And over time, I found myself wrestling with the expectations that can surround these days…the pressure to create something meaningful enough, to shape an experience people would walk away from feeling impacted. But it raised a deeper question in me…does our “Happy Easter” depend on how we experienced it? How well something was presented to us? Or did we encounter Jesus again? Did we awaken to our daily need for Him?

I’ve come to recognize the tension in that. And this year, something shifted for me.

Slowing down to actually walk the journey with Jesus - day by day, in community - changed the way I experienced it.

I was reminded how important it is to remember.

But not just for a moment.

Not just for a day.

To remember…so that we don’t forget.

Not to quietly drift away in the return to everyday life,

but to lean in.

Because this is what I’m holding onto now:

Every day is resurrection day.

Every day is an opportunity to encounter Him.

To become aware of His presence right where we are.

What stands out to me in these final chapters in John’s Gospel is that Jesus doesn’t remain distant.

He draws near.

He meets Mary in her grief.

He comes into the room where the disciples are hiding in fear.

He responds to Thomas in the middle of his questions.

And then…He shows up in something so ordinary.

Back on the shore.

After a long night.

In the middle of uncertainty about what comes next.

They had seen Him. They believed.

But they were still figuring it all out.

So they returned to what they knew.

And Jesus came to them there.

Standing on the shore.

Calling out to them.

Filling their nets.

Preparing a meal.

“Come and eat.”

The Risen Lord…making breakfast.

And then there’s Peter.

After everything.

After the denial.

After the weight of what he had done.

Jesus turns to him and asks, “Do you love me?”

Not once.

But three times.

Not to shame him.

But to restore him.

To meet him in the very place of his failure and remind him:

You are still mine.

You are still called.

You are still trusted.

“Feed My lambs.”

“Tend My sheep.”

“Feed my sheep.”

“Follow me.”

And this is where the story gently turns toward us.

Because this was never just about them.

It’s about us, too.

Wherever you find yourself right now…

In a season of joy

or uncertainty

or healing

or growth

or even quiet questions

You are not outside of His reach.

Not just on the big days.

Not just in the moments that feel meaningful or set apart.

But in the everyday rhythms of life.

John tells us why he wrote all of this:

“These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31)

That invitation is still open.

Right here.

Right now.

The story isn’t over.

Not for them.

Not for us.

Because the Risen Lord is still moving.

Still restoring.

Still calling people by name.

Still inviting us into life with Him.

So as we step out of this Easter season and into the rhythms of everyday life…

May we not leave this behind.

May we carry it with us.

Learning to abide in Him.

Allowing Him to shape who we are becoming.

Creating space for Him - and for others - in the way we live.

Because He doesn’t just want to meet with us once in a while.

He wants to dwell with us.

Daily.

This year…hit differently for me.

I needed to remember.

And I needed to encounter Him again in a fresh way.

Thank you for walking this Journey to Resurrection with me.

The story continues…