April 4, 2026
One day after the Crucifixion. This quiet day. This time of loss, questions, doubt and grief. Peter had to deal with raw guilt. He’d truly believed he would stay close to Jesus, face whatever He faced. But the crowd. The officials. And Barabas. He was now free and Jesus was gone. The day before overwhelmed Peter’s senses. The unnatural darkness. The torn veil in the Temple. The disciples had scattered after Jesus died. Hope shattered. The dreams and beliefs of so many generations. The Messiah! Had they all been wrong? Judas! How had they not seen through his duplicity? Dark clouds hung over Jerusalem. Dark thoughts invaded Peter’s mind.
Now, more than two thousand years later, we feel that same sense of loss. We know Sunday is coming. We know God will not be mocked. But oh, my Jesus! Your wisdom and Your gentle love. Your generosity and depth of soul. Somehow, in the knowing of You, You were greater than the expected warrior, more fulfilling than an army tearing into Rome. How was Your immense love more powerful than military victory? Yours was a heart victory. A conquest of might. Joy would overtake us soon. But not now. Not this moment. Right now we grapple with pain and fear and a loss of hope that threatens to steal our breath away.
Dear God, we are enveloped in sorrow. Generation after generation we have trusted the promised coming of a Messiah! Freedom from Rome. Freedom from prejudice and fear. Freedom to serve our faith and our God. Jesus! No person has ever shown such love. Never a deeper and more loyal friend. Doubts we have, Lord God. Fear wraps tentacles around our bones. Were we wrong? Could we have been wrong? I say no. With fierceness and unquestioning conviction, we stand resolute in this dark moment. Jesus is the promised one! And no matter what this moment means, He is still Your Son, oh God!
Jesus Ascends to Heaven
After his death Jesus showed the apostles a lot of convincing evidence that he was alive. For 40 days he appeared to them and talked with them about God’s kingdom. Acts 1:3