It was Easter morning so I passed out plastic eggs to the folks in my Sunday school class. Everyone opened them up and found a piece of candy – except one. “I’m the winner,” he quipped, brandishing his empty egg. We all laughed as we enjoyed some chocolate. “Even though the chocolate is good, the empty egg is even better,” I prompted. “Actually Chip, you’re right! You are the winner! This empty egg reminds us of the empty tomb.” And so we continued talking about the empty tomb and Jesus’ resurrection. Past religious leaders have come and gone and they all have graves, often a special destination for their followers. On the other hand, I understand you can go to Israel and visit a place they think might have been Jesus’ tomb, but they’re not sure. Why? Because He’s not there anymore!! Yes, He died. Yes, He was buried. Yes, He stayed there for three days. But that’s not the end of the story. He came back from the dead, conquering the grave, and He is alive today!
To us humans, death is pretty fatal. Some folks think there’s nothing afterwards, just big, black, emptiness. You just cease to exist. Jesus proved otherwise. Not only did He come back from the grave but He promises us eternal life with Him. To be a little more precise, we all will live forever but it’s our decision on how we want to spend eternity. One option is to reject God and spend eternity in hell with the devil. The other option is to can give our hearts and lives to God, become His children, and spend eternity in heaven with Him. I know which one sounds better to me! And it’s even better than chocolate candy!!
A great, big thank you to the choir for the wonderful job they did Easter morning. I’ve got to ask, “Did you see the cross?” I hope so! Just wanted to add a different dimension to our resurrection celebration. And thanks to Judy Ketchum (and her helpers) for dressing the sanctuary for the occasion.
Until our next togethering,
love ya,
Bret
