Tag Archive | easter

Level Ground

Mar31

Whenever something like a death happened in our community, I never knew what to say. My dad always said we didn’t need to know what to say. We were just going to go and practice our ministry of presence. My mom was never going to go and do that empty handed, so I grew up in a home that when someone passed away, you hit the kitchen to fix something and then you go to the visitation. Here in the sunny south, that’s just what we do.

So it makes complete sense to me that the women had hit their kitchen. They had been quietly preparing to go to Jesus’ body. They had their spices and headed to the tomb together. And, then everything that heaven had been waiting for began to unfold.

When they got there– there’s a violent earthquake, and angels comes down from heaven, and sits down on the stone that had once blocked the tomb. And, the body of Christ was gone! At first, they stood there in full wonderment.

The angels questioned why the women would look for the alive in a space meant for dead people. Essentially saying, “This is going exactly like Jesus told you it would.” And then the proverbial lightning bolt goes off and they remember what Jesus told them would be the case. ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ (Luke 24:7)

I like to think that this is when someone takes off running with this kind of news. Maybe they did and maybe they didn’t. Either way, they left with some joy and some fear and headed to tell the eleven disciples and others, exactly what happened. While it was the truth that Jesus wasn’t in the tomb and was absolutely alive– it kinda sounds like nonsense that someone would be alive that just days ago they had all seen dead. Here’s where we get someone to run. Peter took off running to the tomb. I knew he was my favorite disciple! Peter finds that the tomb is empty of Jesus and finds that the cloth used to wrap his body was folded up. Peter moves on, trying to figure it out. Jesus spends time appearing to different people after His resurrection. Mary Magdalene is one of them. The disciples saw him too. With each appearing, in His own way, Jesus says “didn’t you believe me? It’s all going exactly like I said it would.”

I continue to be reminded that while Jesus isn’t always safe and that the things we walk through with Him don’t always feel good— He is still good. His heart is good, He can be trusted no matter what.

Today, all over the world, Christians have gathered to celebrate the good news of the risen Savior! I just wonder, after today, who will we tell? May we never tire of telling someone about how we have seen Jesus in our own lives today.

Quietly Preparing

Mar30

All day long I’ve questioned what day it is simply because of how quiet the day has been. Saturdays are usually packed full of games or practices and preparing for Sunday. This is the first time in several years that my “day before Easter” hasn’t been full of final preparations for leading Easter worship. Instead, the evening has been spent quietly preparing for a simpler Easter Sunday. In the midst of setting a table, pulling down Easter baskets, and being still— my mind keeps drifting back to the scriptural journey of Jesus during his darkest hours.

Just how lonely did He feel? His closest friends were sleeping when he was praying. Some feel lost and stunned that Jesus is dead. Some are probably gathered around tables celebrating the crucifixion because they were part of the crowd who called for it. However, there’s Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Both members of the Sanhedrin, the very court that had condemned Jesus to death, and both had lived as quiet followers of Jesus. However, both had also come out of that hiding when they realized that Jesus really was the promised Messiah. Together, they quietly prepared Jesus’ body for burial. They laid him in a tomb and rolled a giant stone in front of it. Mary Magdalene and Mary were nearby watching. And there Jesus’ body laid, on a quiet Saturday.

All hope feels lost to most. Yet, I find myself wondering if there was anyone at all who was thinking about how Jesus said He would rise on the third day. Were they secretly believing it? There were Pharisees remembering it was said and wanted the tomb to have a guard. Was there anyone at all who thought “hang tight, this isn’t the end”? And, what about heaven? Was anyone in heaven quietly preparing for Jesus’ resurrection?

If I am honest, I am navigating some of my own hard things these days. But I’m reminded that quiet moments in the midst of hard doesn’t always mean all hope is lost. It just means God’s about to bring some goodness that I can’t see yet. I bet you’re going through your own hard things too. Want some good news? The same God who was quietly preparing for Jesus’ resurrection in the midst of the longest weekend ever is the same God today. We can’t get the resurrection and new life without going through some death ourselves, can we?