Six Hours One Friday — He is Risen!

He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee: “The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.” Then they remembered His words. — Luke 24:6-8

God is at His best when our life is at its worst. ~ Max Lucado

Hi there, OBS friends, and Happy Easter! He is risen! (He is risen indeed!)

We hope you had a meaningful Holy Week reading your Bible and thought the last chapters of Six Hours One Friday. Did you catch any of the LIVE sessions with Max? It was such an awesome time of reflection, worship, and celebration! If you missed any of the videos, all of the replays are here: facebook.com/maxlucado/videos

As Christians, isn’t it a powerful thing to study Christ’s journey down the Via Dolorosa, that week of increasing conflict, unrest, and chaos, and the fulfillment of prophecy upon prophecy upon prophecy as Jesus willingly gave His life for us on the Cross? He faced a storm unlike any one of us will ever be able to comprehend. For us. And He was victorious! In Him, we can be victorious, too! That is the message of Easter, and today we celebrate with you!

I love the stories that we read because each of us has a Jesus story, don’t we? We learned about the Samaritan at the well who went from being an ostracized, outcast, infamous woman overwhelmed with shame and broken dreams to becoming the first gentile evangelist all because Jesus saw her, knew her, loved her, and revealed Himself to her!

We learned about the woman caught in the act of adultery. Destined for and legally deserving execution. But, Jesus! Through Him our public scandals, and private shames, our moral collapses, our humiliating spotlight moments when the world discovers our shame… they’re not too great for Jesus… our Redeemer.

We learned about the widow of Nain and how Jesus flicked death off her only son like a gnat. In Jesus, even death loses! The triumph Jesus won on the Cross, the utter whomping of what some of us fear the most, firmly declares “Death… you’re done here! Tetelestai. He has paid the price and it is finished.”

So, no matter what, even in the middle of crises, we can hold on to these biblical anchor points:

My life is not futile.
My failures are not fatal.
My death is not final.

Let’s fix our gaze on Jesus, no matter what hurricane may be battering us right now. Because God is at His best when life is at its worst. As we said, this is training; it’s boot camp… where we build spiritual muscles and learn to not lose hope in the Lord and not to waver in our faith.

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. — Hebrews 6:19

Anchor deep. Say a prayer. And, hold on. ~ Max Lucado

Friends, this is what we call catch-up week, the week to re-watch the videos and go through our study guides again. What was your favorite part of the study? Come share with us in the comments on the blog (or Facebook group)! We’d love to hear your final thoughts on Six Hours One Friday.

What’s Next?

You are going to be so excited! We’re thrilled to share that our summer study is, drum roll, please…

Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World by Max.

This is one of Max’s bestselling books ever, and we’re going to be giving you FREE access to all six study companion videos!

Study dates are June 24-July 29 and registration will open May 1 so watch your email for the opening!

Does your soul need a more carefree summer? Would you like to take a deep breath and live a little less weighed down with worry? Do you need to lean on God to be able to relax and refresh?

Then this is the study for YOU! And it’s perfect for groups and book clubs, so put the dates on your calendar, start gathering your friends, and get ready to make this your best summer ever! We can’t wait!

Closing Prayer

Jesus, we love You. Thank You so much for the miraculous stories of redemption and hope that we studied in Six Hours One Friday. Thank You for our own hard stories which You are in the process of working all things for the good because we love You and are called according to Your purpose. Help us to remain firmly anchored in You and the truths in Scripture come what may. We love You, Lord! Amen.