On December 29, 2010 my 32 year old daughter, Becky, lost her life in an automobile accident. ‘GLEANINGS from Claudia’ is a mother’s journal of grief.

“What we do see is Jesus, made “not quite as high as angels,” and then, through the experience of death, crowned so much higher than any angel, with a glory “bright with Eden’s dawn light.” In that death, by God’s grace, he fully experienced death in every person’s place.

It makes good sense that the God who got everything started and keeps everything going now completes the work by making the Salvation Pioneer perfect through suffering as he leads all these people to glory. Since the One who saves and those who are saved have a common origin, Jesus doesn’t hesitate to treat them as family, saying,

‘I’ll tell my good friends, my brothers and sisters, all I know about you; I’ll join them in worship and praise to you.’

Again, he puts himself in the same family circle when he says,

‘Even I live by placing my trust in God.’

And yet again,

‘I’m here with the children God gave me.’

Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it’s logical that the Savior took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into himself, he destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death.

It’s obvious, of course, that he didn’t go to all this trouble for angels. It was for people like us, children of Abraham. That’s why he had to enter into every detail of human life. Then, when he came before God as high priest to get rid of the people’s sins, he would have already experienced it all himself — all the pain, all the testing — and would be able to help where help was needed.” Hebrews 2:9-18

He is risen; He is risen indeed! It is early on Resurrection Sunday and I’m eagerly anticipating worshipping the Lord this morning at Suburban, my church home. Jesus will be there joining us in worship and praise to God Almighty who raised Him from the dead. Holy Spirit will be there moving in and through us to magnify God the Father and Jesus Christ His son. And God Himself will sit enthroned on our praises.

We serve an amazing, ‘God is love’ God who doesn’t leave us to our own devices when we chose sin and death. Instead He takes on flesh to live out a life just like ours so that He can really come along side us when we struggle. And then in the ultimate act of servant-hood He becomes obedient to death and overcomes death as the Firstborn from the Dead! Talk about a ‘Servant Leader’! And oh how I love that title ‘Firstborn from the Dead’ because it implies that there will be more to come!

Resurrection Sunday affirms the truth that those who are lovers of the Lord and have died before me are more alive today than I can even imagine. Today I will worship in a timeless dimension and stand with Becky and my Mom and dear friends from my church family to praise and glorify the One who lives and gives eternal life!