Growling
Scripture Reading — Mark 16:1-8
"Go, tell his disciples and Peter, ?He is going ahead of you into Galilee.'" Mark 16:7
Yet no matter how wonderful the worship was, the miracle of Easter needs more tending and deeper reflection. Like the first disciples, we must leave the service and go to Galilee, where we live out our lives and where Jesus has gone ahead of us--and we go to live with him year-round.
Eugene Peterson observes in Eat This Book that he saw his dog chewing on a bone. The dog gnawed the bone, turned it over, licked it, and sometimes made a low rumble or growl, similar to a cat's purring. Later Peter?son noticed that the prophet Isaiah said the same thing about a lion: "As a lion growls ... over his prey..." (Isaiah 31:4).
What makes this remarkable is that the Hebrew word that is translated as growl is usually translated as medi?tate. For example, in Psalm 1, a blessed person is de?scribed as one who meditates (growls) on God's law day and night.
We need to growl over Easter. As a dog buries its bone to return to it later, we must bury the Easter event in our hearts to return to it on Monday, Tuesday, Wednes?day ... every day, to growl over it, for such is its inexhaustible goodness.
Lord Jesus, may your glorious resurrection satisfy us completely. Help us to reflect on it thoughtfully, making it a part of our everyday living for your sake. Amen.
About the author — Jack Roeda
Rev. Jack Roeda is the senior pastor at Church of the Servant Christian Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and an adjunct professor of preaching at Calvin Theological Seminary. He is married to Carol Sue Kok, and they have three children and two grandchildren. Pastor Roeda has served two previous churches: Exeter (Ont.) Christian Reformed Church and Calvary Christian Reformed Church, Holland, Michigan.
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