He Said My Name

When I saw this video for the first time it spoke to me in a very powerful way. We are all exactly like Peter so many times.

In The Passion of the Christ there is a moment when Jesus is being beaten. He takes many lashes and falls to His knees and the soldiers prepare to stop beating him. He makes eye contact with Mary. He sees those He is dying for and He does the unthinkable...He gets up. When He could have quit, He took more.

The reason why we celebrate Easter is not just to have huge numbers at church once a year. Easter is meant to remember how much God has done for us. If we allow ourselves to become so focused on how wretched and imperfect we are, then it becomes extremely difficult for us to live in the grace He has given to us.

We all have denied Christ in our own way many, many times. Even so, when I was at my worst...He said my name. When I spit in His face with my actions and motives...He said my name.

Without grace we are no different than the worst sinner out there...drowning in a sea of our own sin. We are all drowning in the same ocean.  That is nothing new or different...but what IS different is what Christ did. He took our sin and shame and wore them to the grave...and then He rose.

He rose! THAT is what is different. Grace is about Him...not us.

He's looking at you. He did that for you. He said your name.