Sunday, April 24, 2011

Easter



Bartolomeo Schedoni, Women at the Grave, 1613


Lord,

I’ve heard the alleluias…the choir…the trumpets. I‘ve seen the palms…the lilies…the cross.

But there is no end to Easter when we contemplate the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection.

It’s not a myth or folktale. It’s a bona fide, God-at-work miracle.

Jesus tortured, lifeless body - his pericardium was pierced by a spear - was wrapped in linen and embalmed with seventy-five pounds of aloe and myrrh. The corpse was laid in a cave. The tomb was sealed with a huge stone and placed under military guard.

Yet Jesus rose from the dead!

An event widely witnessed and reported. An event that changed world history. An event with remarkable staying power.

It happened 2000 years ago, but the miracle is repeated - in the present - each time a human heart is reconciled with the Creator…each time someone claims the power of his Holy Spirit and your promise of eternal life.

Thanks be to God!

…for the enduring, transforming power of Easter.
Amen.