It has no words because no

words exist. No words exist because no words are needed.

There are no ears to hear them, no eyes to
read them. The Author is alone.
And so he takes the great pen and begins to write. Like an artist
gathers his colors and a woodcarver
his tools, the Author assembles his words.
There are three. Three single words. Out o these three will pour
a million thoughts. !ut on these three
words, the story will suspend.
"e takes his #uill and spells the $rst. T-i-m-e.
The Author would enter his own story.
The %ord would become &esh. "e, too, would be born. "e, too,
would be human. "e, too, would
have eet and hands. "e, too, would have tears and trials.
%hat did role he chose to die on cross and su'er, sometime
when we play a skit or drama we want the best role and role
like king or somebody who can be looked up.
It wasn(t the mud that healed the eyes o the blind man) it was
the $nger o *od in the mud. *od can do anything to bless us,
he can go any miles.
It was dark now, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
John 6:17
+ark tells us that during the storm ,esus -saw his ollowers
struggling. /+ark 01234. Through the
night he saw them. Through the storm he saw them. And like a
loving ather he waited. "e waited until the
right time, until the right moment. "e waited until he knew it
was time to come, and then he came.
%hat made it the right time5 I don(t know. %hy was the ninth
hour better than the ourth or $th5 I
can(t answer that. %hy does *od wait until the money is gone5
%hy does he wait until the sickness has
lingered5 %hy does he choose to wait until the other side o the
grave to answer the prayers or healing5
I don(t know. I only know his timing is always right. I can only
say he will do what is best. -*od will
always give what is right to his people who cry to him night and
day, and he will not be slow to answer
them. /Luke 63174.
8emember how the Lord your *od has led you in the desert or
these orty years, taking away your
pride and testing you, because he wanted to know what was in
your heart. "e took away your pride when
he let you get hungry, and then he ed you with manna, which
neither you nor your ancestors had ever seen.
This was to teach you that a person does not live by eating only
bread, but by everything the Lord says.
9uring these orty years, your clothes did not wear out, and
your eet did not swell. :now in your heart
that the Lord your *od corrects you as a parent corrects a child.
/9eut. 31;<24
; =ee 9euteronomy 61;.
Look what *od did in the desert. "e took away the Israelites(
pride. "e tested their hearts. "e proved
that he would provide or them. 9id *od want the children o
Israel to reach the >romised Land5 O
course. !ut he was more concerned that they arrive prepared
than that they arrive soon.
=o where does that leave us5 %hile ,esus is praying and we are
in the storm, what are we to do5
=imple. %e do what the disciples did. %e row. The disciples
rowed most o the night. +ark says they
-struggled hard. to row the boat /+ark 01234. The word
struggle is elsewhere translated as -tormented..
%asn(t easy. %asn(t glamorous.
*od still moves stones
At that time there was a strong earthquake. An angel of the
Lord came down from heaven, went to
the tomb, and rolled the stone away from the entrance. Then
he sat on the stone.
He was shining bright as lightning, and his clothes were white
as snow. The soldiers guarding the
tomb shook with fear because of the angel, and they became
like dead men.
+atthew ;31;<2
/Now, read careully, this is what I noticed or the $rst time
today.4
%hy did the angel move the stone5 ?or whom did he roll away
the rock5
?or ,esus5 That(s what I always thought. I @ust assumed that the
angel moved the stone so ,esus could
come out. !ut think about it. 9id the stone have to be removed
in order or ,esus to exit5 9id *od have to
have help5 %as the death con#ueror so weak that he couldn(t
push away a rock5 /-"ey, could somebody
out there move this rock so I can get out5.4
I don(t think so. The text gives the impression that ,esus was
already out when the stone was movedA
Nowhere do the *ospels say that the angel moved the stone or
,esus. ?or whom, then, was the stone
moved5
Listen to what the angel says1 -Bome and see the place where
his body was. /v. 04.
The stone was movedCnot or ,esusCbut or the women) not so
,esus could come out, but so the
women could see inA
+ary looks at +ary and +ary is grinning the same grin she had
when the bread and $sh kept coming
out o the basket. The old passion &ares. =uddenly it(s all right
to dream again.
-*o #uickly and tell his ollowers, D,esus has risen rom the
dead. "e is going into *alilee ahead o
you, and you will see him there(. /v. 74.
+ary and +ary don(t have to be told twice. They turn and start
running to ,erusalem. The darkness is
gone. The sun is up. The =on is out. !ut the =on isn(t $nished.
One surprise still awaits them.
-=uddenly, ,esus met them and said, D*reetings.( The women
came up to him, took hold o his eet,
and worshiped him. Then ,esus said to them, D9on(t be araid.
*o and tell my ollowers to go on to
*alilee, and they will see me there(. /v. E<6F4.
The *od o surprises strikes again. It(s as i he said, -I can(t wait
any longer. They came this ar to
see me) I(m going to drop in on them..
*od does that or the aithul. ,ust when the womb gets too old
or babies, =arai gets pregnant. ,ust
when the ailure is too great or grace, 9avid is pardoned. And
@ust when the road is too dark or +ary
and +ary, the angel glows and the =avior shows and the two
women will never be the same.
The lesson5 Three words. 9on(t give up.
Is the trail dark5 9on(t sit.
Is the road long5 9on(t stop.
Is the night black5 9on(t #uit.
*od is watching. ?or all you know right at this moment he may
be telling the angel to move the stone.
The check may be in the mail.
The apology may be in the making.
The @ob contract may be on the desk.
9on(t #uit. ?or i you do, you may miss the answer to your
prayers.
*od still sends angels. And *od still moves stones.
A troop member received a 9ear ,ohn letter. "e was devastated.
To add insult to in@ury, his girl wrote, ->lease return my avorite
picture o mysel because I would like to use that photograph or
my engagement picture in the county newspaper..
OuchA !ut his buddies came to his deense. They went
throughout the barracks and collected pictures o all the other soldiers(
girlriends. They $lled an entire shoe box. The @ilted soldier
mailed the photos to his ex<girlriend with this note1 ->lease $nd
your enclosed picture and return the rest. ?or the lie o me I can(t
remember which one you were..;
8etaliation has its appeal. !ut ,esus has a better idea.