Easter Sunday and Empty Hands

I had the humbly brilliant idea of asking my good friend at Apostrophe Photo to please bring her camera and do a micro-mini session for us at church on Easter Sunday.  We only had about ten minutes, and she captured so many great pictures of us!! I am so pleased.  The three above are the ones I think you'll appreciate the most :D  Isn't she talented?? And if you knew how fussy the girls were! You'd be even more wowed!

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Easter is a special time for any Christian.  Yeah.  Duh.  

As I was reflecting on that fact for the past month, I've come to another, "Yeah, Duh."  But, you know me,  I'll share anyway.  :D

I remember my first few times being at Agapé, when my faith in Christ was new.  I remember Craig Geark leading worship and just blowing my mind.  It was so good.  I love to sing, I love to worship.  I looked around me though, distracted by the depth of the worship I saw in the people around me!  They danced in the pews, and even lifted their hands.  I guess I thought lifting up my hands was simply a gesture of love back then... and try as I might, I just couldn't do it!! It was like a weight was tied to my wrists.  It was months before I worked up enough courage to lift them a tiny bit.  Slowly, very slowly, I worked up to the very free worshipper that I am today.  

But, now I understand why I lift my hands.

In the days of the Old Testament - the days of Moses - church was a tabernacle, a travelling tent.  The people had to bring an animal to sacrifice as an offering of worship - maybe two turtle doves, maybe a young spotless lamb, depending on the situation. (See the book of Leviticus for details.)  The priests would take the animal and kill it in a specific way, covering the altar with its blood.  Being a priest was a bloody and gruesome job.  A true picture of the horrors of our sins.  How's that for a summary?

Then, instead of revealing Himself to us in words (carved into two stone tablets), the Word of God became flesh and Jesus came to save us from our sin (ourselves) once and for all.  He was slain as a spotless Lamb, crucified just as the prophets foretold, and He poured out His blood on the altar in heaven.  His blood did it all.  His blood bridged the gap between us and our tendencies toward sin and the Holiness of God.  He gave up His life and His blood to redeem us!! And then, The Giver of Life was resurrected and transformed - He rose from the grave and now prays for us and constantly makes intercession for us!  

So that leaves us still here on earth, with empty hands and no offering to bring.  We cannot bring a sacrifice into the church to please God anymore!!  Guilt offerings, sin offerings, He doesn't require that from us anymore!  Jesus fulfilled all of the old laws, and now we live under a new covenant! 

And that's my point - we lift our empty hands to God as if to say, "There is nothing I can bring You, nothing I could do, no way I could satiate your anger against my many sins! Yet I accept what Jesus has done on my behalf and I lift up my hand to You in honor.  I glorify You Lord for what You have done!  I give You my life, which is already Yours.  I give my praise.  I worship You with empty hands."

And He accepts us, just like that.

If you've never lifted your hands to Him in worship, but you want to - I encourage you to just try it a little :D