It’s post Resurrection Sunday.
The squeals of delight at the discovery of a candy filled treasure have drifted away in the gentle spring breeze like the white fuzz of a dandelion. The only evidence left behind is an overlooked egg hiding in the tall grass.
The pageantry and programs with all their pomp and circumstance are packed away for another year.
Easter finery, so carefully chosen as adornment worthy of royals for this most hallowed day of the Christian calendar, is now deemed common hanging alongside apparel of the every day.
Monday morning I was plagued with the question, “So what?”
All week these two little words have haunted me, “So What?”
Maundy (Latin for commandment) Thursday was just one week ago. Jesus spent His last hours with the men He had discipled. His teachings and illustrations on that day are some of the most radical and amazing in the entire Bible. (You can read them for yourself in John 13-17).
The daily Holy Week readings on that day were about the Passover meal, it was the Last Supper, the observance of which served as a reminder to the Jews that it was God who set them free from slavery.
That night in the shadow of the cross, Jesus explained the Passover in a fresh new way to His disciples in a way that radically altered history.
The Passover meal included unleavened bread and 4 cups of wine, each cup specifically named in Jewish tradition. The third cup is served immediately after the meal when the prayer of thanksgiving was offered.
And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. – Matthew 26:27–28
The name of the third cup? The cup of redemption!
Jesus’ blood redeems us from the slavery of sin. It was clear, they were sitting with the Lamb of God who would in a few hours shed His own blood to set men free from slavery to sin.
Christ is the fulfillment of the Passover, He is our Passover!
Although I’m known for saying that the third cup of coffee is the Holy Spirit cup, and I named my blog The Third Cup, the story behind it is not about coffee, but the cup of redemption which represented the blood of Christ.
For me these serve as daily reminders that Christ paid an extremely high price so that I can live in freedom and not as a slave to sin.
The question still begs and answer, “So what?” So what does that have to do with me?
The “So what”
I now can walk boldly and confidently in right standing with God as I live in the day to day.
I can make Him known from whatever platform I find myself on each day.
Now, I have a choice: I can live out every aspect of my life in a way that pleases my Father, not holding anything back. Or, I can choose to do what I want to do, when I want to do it.
I can live my life in complete surrender and adoration. Or, I can choose to control what areas I give to Him in worship, compartmentalizing my Christian life from the rest of my life.
It is my choice!
I can walk in worries, doubts and fears unable to carry out the good deeds and purpose God planned for me before I was even born. Or, I can walk in faith knowing that the God who loves me has a plan and purpose for me different than that of another. A walk that is strengthened and grace filled as I take each step of obedience.
I can walk in the desires of the flesh and be devoid of peace and exhausted, hindered from obeying the truth. Or I can walk by the Spirit and be filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 6:22-23)
The provision has been made for my success, but I have a responsibility to walk in obedience. When I do, grace pours over me to do what I have been called to do and God is on display to all who are watching!
That is the “So what”! Because I am redeemed the choice is mine!