Yesterday was an incredible time reflecting on Jesus - His coming, His death, His resurrection, and His great love. Let us continue in that reflection this morning, so that the significance of celebrating Jesus’ resurrection is not limited to one day a year, but a joy and gratitude we can live in often.

A poem called “The Blood That Built a Bridge” or “The Great Love” was shared yesterday and gave us the opportunity to see the gospel from a unique lens - a love story.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to have this writing shared, something that came out of me spending time with God one morning, journaling around a dream I had, then this writing coming immediately after. I wrote it, but in reality, I was just providing the pages for God’s pen.

I want to share how this writing came about, then encourage you with the faith challenge that can come with it.

The dream was that I was speaking to a gentleman. He was dressed in dark clothing and, let’s just say, was not in appearance friendly or approachable, but I approached him, stood next to him, and asked, “Why do you like darkness? The darkness hates you - the demons don’t want what’s best for you.” He started telling me how he struggles with anxiousness and depression and an overthinking spirit. I said to him, “Have you ever heard the gospel?”

He said no, but agreed to hear it.

I sat down with him, and as I did, other people started to sit down around us to listen. 

I began saying, “Most of us have heard Jesus died on the cross for our sins - but what does that actually mean? How does that apply to us? I grew up Catholic, so I only knew religion - you do this because you’re supposed to, and you don’t do this because you’re not supposed to. That’s about all the further reasoning I understood.

But the truth is, to really understand what that means for us - that it is good news - we first must know the bad news. From the beginning, what happened in the garden was a decision that came with humanity being separated from God - that’s what sin is, separation from God. That’s the bad news: that every one of us has sinned, lied, stolen, cheated, and there is a separation between us and God - there is nothing we in ourselves can do to close that separation.

This is the good news: Jesus came down to earth, fully God, fully man - He lived a perfect, sinless life and was beaten, whipped, tortured, and given a crown of thorns with thorns over an inch long pressed into His skull, and was crucified, naked. He took the punishment for each and every person’s sins.

What does each living thing need to live? Blood. Blood = life. Sin = death.

Jesus covered our death sentence with His blood, and it is the bridge between us and God - a gap, a separation that Jesus made a bridge over, and the only way to cross the separation is by the cross, through Jesus.

If you put your faith in Jesus and believe in what He did for you - you can live for eternity in heaven with God.

And when you put your faith in Jesus while you’re here on earth - He gives you the Holy Spirit to live in you and help you. He helps you turn from the things that Jesus suffered and died for. That’s good news.”

And the dream ended. Then I began to write, “Your blood is the bridge...”

My Faith Challenge for us today is:

• What does being reminded of the gospel bring up in you?
• If someone were to tell you they have never heard the good news about Jesus before, what would you share with them? Is that an area for growth?
• Read through the writing “The Blood That Built a Bridge/The Great Love” and meditate on the story. Read it slowly, and absorb the message.
  What are you seeing? What are you feeling? What’s standing out to you?
• Whatever comes up for you - thoughts, questions, feelings, or further revelation - the final challenge is I want you to share that with someone. That someone has absolutely no required qualifications of attending service or reading the poem or “understanding” what you will say. Just share it - give yourself and someone else the opportunity to talk about Jesus and the impact He’s had on you.