He Is Risen As He Said! Alleluia, Alleluia!
They found the stone rolled away from the tomb;
but when they entered,
they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. (Lk 24:2-3)
Today is a joyous day.
After weeks of preparation throughout the season of Lent and after a grueling Holy Week in which we remembered the terrible passion and death of our Lord, we finally arrive at the celebration of the resurrection.
Christ, indeed, is risen!
We know that.
We have spoken about that for almost two thousand years now.
We are nothing like the original apostles and disciples. They did not know about the resurrection.
All they experienced was death and loss.
Even when Easter morning arrived, what they encountered was not glory but a mystery: the body of Jesus was missing. Could He have been taken from the tomb?!
Remember, their faith was extremely challenged. All that they thought they knew was gone. They could not comprehend the earlier words of the Lord that He would come back from the dead.
But, come back He did.
And while they were hesitant at first, visual evidence began to build. More and more people saw the risen Lord. Their joy knew no bounds.
As I said, we are nothing like the original apostles and disciples. They did not know about the resurrection; but, we do.
We are nothing like them?
Actually, even though we have almost two thousand years on them, we are often just like them.
We often have fear get in the way. Our fear prevents us from recognizing the Lord at work in our lives. Our fear prevents us from seeing the Lord in those around us.
Cast aside your fear today. The Lord is risen as He said! Alleluia, Alleluia!
FAITH ACTION: In the midst of your activities today — Easter dinner with family, visiting with friends, et cetera — find some opportunity to express your joy in the resurrection won for you by Christ Jesus.