Good Morning Friends,
Today we have a joyous Eastertide devotional about living stones and living stories. Six months ago a friend of mine was praying for Moorings Presbyterian Church. He knew its history and a time when it was filled beyond capacity and I am sure he would have been pleased at seeing the children’s chat, a youth liturgist, a young child’s prayer, amazing music and great sermon in a packed Easter worship service at the Moorings. Something is indeed fundamentally spiritually different and it is palpable beyond the ambience of the worship space itself. For if we belong to the Kingdom of God, then the most compelling evidence of His presence in our lives is not the stones of our buildings but the living stones of His people. The Spirit forms us into a community whose very life points to the true Temple—Christ dwelling in us, for us, and among us. Now as we walk through Eastertide toward Pentecost, we remember that the church was not born through professionals but through ordinary believers—Spirit‑filled amateurs whose love opened doors no strategy ever could. So, the question before us is simple and searching: Do you have a personal story of resurrection this Eastertide—evidence of Christ’s life in you?
Scripture in Brief
John 15:11 — Jesus promises His joy—His own joy—to fill us as we abide in Him.
Psalm 16 — God is our refuge, inheritance, and path of life; in His presence is fullness of joy.
Luke 24:13–23 — On the road to Emmaus, discouraged disciples suddenly recognize Jesus as He walks with them.
Matthew 28:8–15 — The empty tomb exposes the lie that Jesus was guilty; God overturns the verdict with resurrection.
The Message: The answer to every deep theological question is ultimately Jesus—and today is no different. He is the One who binds up our sorrows, heals our spirits, and fulfills every promise of God. The most important truth about your life and mine is how we reflect Him. That is the one story we will never regret telling.Like the disciples on the Emmaus road, our hearts burn when we speak of what Jesus has done—how His love, poured out in death, has raised us to new life individually and collectively. And because the risen Christ appeared to many, He can still meet us today through the Spirit, often in the face of a stranger or the needs of a neighbor. Our lives are not measured by our accomplishments but by the relationships shaped in the slow work of sanctification. That is where resurrection becomes visible. Friends, there is a great reversal taking place and we are witness to it in a way that mirrors the Gospel story. On Good Friday, Jesus was declared guilty—an untrained carpenter claiming to be God. By every human measure, His death proved the leaders right. Many have written off the church too, but God is overturning the verdict in both instances. The empty tomb and a filled sanctuary are witnesses of a transformed community and these become, in our time, God’s testimony that Jesus is innocent, victorious, and the Lord still acts. And if God overturned those verdicts, He can overturn the false verdicts in our own lives—the lies we believe about ourselves, the sins we think define us, the despair that whispers nothing can change. Eastertide is not about chasing happiness, which depends on circumstances. It is about receiving joy—Christ’s joy—rooted in His resurrection and alive in us.
And So, at the Last Supper, Jesus spoke of love and joy even as He faced the cross. He invites us into that same joy, grounded in God’s provision, counsel, and hope. The resurrection secures our inheritance and empowers us to live the abundant life He won for us. So start living it. And share your story of loving God, loving others and making disciples.
Pray that we stay united even when perspectives differ. Pray that we rejoice when His glory is revealed. Pray that we lose our lives for His sake and find them. Pray that we do not lose heart. Pray that Christ pours His joy into every reader today. Pray that we know God as our protector, delight, inheritance, foundation, resurrection, and path of life. Pray that our community grows in love, strength, character, and truth. Pray that the resurrection validates our hope and fills our emptiness with joy. Pray that we remember our own story of coming to Jesus. Pray that we endure the controversies that come with faith. Pray that Christ appears in our daily lives and in the faces we meet. Pray that His love fills us. Pray that we know His resurrection includes us too.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 