He LIVES!!!!

Matthew 28
Jesus Has Risen
1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has RISEN, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.



I remember a sweet little story that we used to listen to (on cassette tape, of course!) every Easter when we were kids called "The Empty Egg". It was about a group of kids who were all lined up for a local egg hunt. They were consumed with the eggs, the bunnies, the candy... But as they wandered farther and farther from their parents looking for MORE eggs, they found themselves at the mouth of a cave. They heard tiny little voices that lured them further in until they found themselves in the midst of a chocolate factory run by hundreds of little...bunnies! The "boss bunny" was named Mr. Whiskers and as these skeptical children begin to converse with Mr. Whiskers, he begins to show them a carton of eggs- each filled with another element of the TRUE Easter Story...where Jesus gave His life for them...for US! My favorite part was at the end when the children, who have begun to see Easter for what it really is, opened the last egg that was....E-M-P-T-Y!!!! They were astonished that the "grand finale" egg didn't have anything in it, and sweet ole Mr. Whiskers explained that this was the GRANDEST EGG OF ALL! It was the "emptiness" of that egg, symbolizing the emptiness of the tomb, that gives us our hope! As the children raced out of the cave and back toward the laughter of the other children hunting eggs still, they carried with them an all new understanding of the Cross and the wonderful gift of salvation that God gaves us through it.

As we tucked in our Jadeybug tonight, even though she's so young and can't understand a whole lot yet, we told her that Easter is all about Jesus and that Easter Sunday is even more special to us than CHRISTMAS...because it was this day, Resurrection Sunday, that He Rose! And hopefully by next Easter, she will know this sweet song that Mr. Whiskers sang to those kids in the cave...herself!



It's EMPTY, it's empty inside
A tomb full of empty
A Savior ALIVE
They found empty
With the stone rolled away, I know
Christ crucified
But now He's ALIVE
In ME