From the Desk of The DBeazy One-Man-Think-Tank

Everyone has to die. This is a fact and cannot be disputed except for a couple of people listed in the Bible. (That I know of) Yes, death waits for each of us and generally, it is a truth in which humans would rather not dwell upon.

In my life, there have been many people who have passed from this world who were close to me, and three who have visited me in dreams over the years. These dreams all have a similar theme and have occurred during times of extreme stress in my life. In every one of these dreams, I would be somewhere and would see them, or hear someone say that they had seen them, and I would argue that they had died, that I had attended their funerals. But, in these dreams, I would see them or talk with them, or hear something they had to say and I would be convinced that I was mistaken. Then I would awake with the feeling that things were going to work out.

Today we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, and as in my dreams, it is without a doubt, an extreme period of stress not only in my life but in the lives of most every sane individual on the planet. The Bible tells us the story in several places, but I like the account as it is written in Matthew 28: 1-10.

In this passage, Mary Magdalene and the “other Mary” arose early to go to the tomb of Jesus to anoint his body with spices and find an angel there who tells them that Jesus had been resurrected from death and instructs them that they shouldn’t be afraid and that they should tell the disciples of Jesus that he would meet them in Galilee. The two Mary’s left the tomb to go tell the disciples and on the way, Jesus appeared before them and again, instructed them to not be afraid and to go and tell the disciples that he would meet them in Galilee.

From there, the Bible goes on to give further details about Jesus revealing himself, very much alive, to his remaining 11 disciples and delivering to them what we know today as “The Great Commission.”

I’m no Biblical scholar, and I am aware that almost everyone reading this has read or at least been told of this account. I believe that the words of the Bible are “alive.” I believe that God uses the words of the book to speak to each of us on a uniquely personal plane. Last night I was convinced by a close friend that I should do a blog post about the Easter Story, and I was reluctant because I honestly don’t feel qualified. So I sat at the keyboard and stared at a blank screen and quickly began to dose off. I decided to go on and go to bed and that maybe I could do better in the morning. Before sleep, I prayed that I would be granted the correct words and the correct thoughts, and the right message for this post and I sit here this morning, pecking away at the keys with the full belief that my prayers have been answered.

You see, those 10 verses, and in particular, the entire 28^th chapter of Matthew says so much. It is not a long chapter, but arguably, one of the most important chapters ever written. A lot is going on in these verses and preachers around the globe will be referring to them this morning and doing a much better job than me. What I want to share is what jumped out at me as I read this morning.

As I said, the words to me are alive and what I see is pertinent to me and hopefully to you on this day, April 12, 2020. In two of the first 10 verses, the words “Do not be afraid” are mentioned. I can only speak for myself when I say that for over a month, fear has been a constant companion to old DBeazy. We have a plague sweeping the land, killing more people every day as physicians and scientists try to figure out how to fight it. If this wasn’t enough, I fear the collateral damage of this pandemic and how it will affect every human on Earth. And finally, I am afraid of the actions of ignorant people as they are driven by their fear and react to the pandemic in very unpredictable ways.

Today as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, I understand these words. I believe in these words, and in fact, I am “ALL IN,” with the words, “Do not be afraid.” I believe that in “virtual” church services today that men and women ordained by God will deliver truthful, in-depth, and more eloquent messages that will be preached. But I believe that there is someone out there who will read this and like me, find needed comfort and peace in the words, “Do not be afraid.”

In life, there is much to be afraid of and there is much to fear, now more than ever.  We cannot ignore the second part though in this passage. In both verses, “Do not be afraid” is followed by instruction, first from the angel, and secondly from Jesus himself. I believe that is what these living words of the Bible are telling me today. God himself is reminding me that I should not be afraid.

In the dreams I mentioned, I feel better after “contact” with one of the three people. Likewise, after reading God’s words this morning I can see how the two Mary’s and the disciples felt. They had seen Jesus put to death. There was a funeral. There was a burial, and they were grieving. They were very much afraid for their own lives having been associated with Jesus. Yet brief encounters told them not to be afraid.

So today, let’s not let fear hold us hostage. Let’s focus on the instruction that comes after fear is resolved. Let us remember that Jesus told his disciples that, “All authority of heaven and on Earth has been given to me.” Jesus has risen with that power, so we have no reason to be afraid.