Resurrection Sunday — Jesus Keeps His Word!

I’m back, true to my word. But of exceeding more earth shaking life-changing eternal significance, Jesus kept His Word! He’s alive! Praise Him! What’s more, Jesus continues to keep His Word to us this day and everyday. Somebody needs to help me shout!

It’s Saturday evening in my corner of the world. I’ve got the kitchen smelling up nicely for Easter dinner, and someone (all fingers pointing back at me) needs to do some light housekeeping before guests arrive tomorrow. No worries. It’ll get done, eventually. And if it doesn’t? Guess what? That’ll be okay, too. It has suddenly occurred to me that I have readers coming by this porch from all over the world. Which means, it’s Sunday Somewhere! Don’t you just love that thought? I could talk a blue streak on that one alone, but instead I’m going to kick us off with some memories that always flood my heart at this glorious season, followed by a short devotional.   

I’m speaking of the Easter Sundays of my childhood…My grandfather pastored a church called Riverside Baptist in Natchez, MS. Papaw’s church always held Easter Sunrise services. I remember shivering in the cool morning air with my sisters, our cousins, and the other church kids, warming our hands at a roaring fire the men built in big black drums—and eating donuts. The adults were there to celebrate the resurrection, but the store-bought pastries were the highlights of our Sunrise services. 

Those early morning celebrations were too early in our opinion, but they were non-negotiable with our parents. Being roused from sleep to gather with the faithful, sporting the sponge rollers that would soon grant us our Easter ringlets, this was all my sisters and I knew. 

There are many resurrection stories we could look at today, but I’ve chosen to focus on Mary Magdalene’s. Mary arrived at the tomb early Sunday morning expecting life as she knew it. Jesus was dead and by now His body was stinking. We know this because she came with other women bearing spices to anoint Jesus’ dead body, in hopes of masking the smell of his decomposing corpse. 

As they walked, they asked each other how they would move the stone. Mark 16.3 Only once they arrived, they found the stone was already rolled away from the tomb’s entrance. We’re not told what the other women did in that moment, but John tells us Mary looked inside, noted that Jesus was gone, and took off running to tell the disciples that “someone had taken Jesus’ body, and no one knew where it was!” 

I have a healthy imagination I know, but I can see Mary with her hands on her hips, panting for breath, and demanding that someone do something!

She still doesn’t believe Jesus is alive. Peter and John take off to the empty tomb to investigate for themselves. When they see the empty tomb, the men immediately began rejoicing because Jesus is clearly alive. Right? Wrong! According to John 20: 9-10, Peter and John don’t get it either. Scripture tell us they left the tomb and returned to their own homes! Wait. What? We’re looking at the biggest breaking news of all times, and the boys go home with it. They sit on it. Who does that? I don’t know, maybe you and me? 

2nd Cor. 5: 17-21 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

You saw it, right? We’ve been given the ministry of reconciliation. We’re supposed to tell the world that Jesus lives, and our lives are supposed to be the greatest witness! May we live up to our calling, starting now!

In John 20: 11- 17, we find Mary back at the tomb. It’s a familiar scene, and a comforting one. Jesus and Mary share a tender moment. He tells Mary that His Father is now her Father, and He tells her to go tell “my brethren.” 

He calls them “my brethren.” Selah, pause and think calmly about that. Jesus is talking about the ones who had deserted Him. 

Oh, take courage, my soul. You’ve not always been true to your Jesus, but He stays true to You!

This time when Mary leaves, she’s on an entirely different mission. She heads for the guys, but her second report is vastly different than her first. Now she’s all, “Scratch what I said earlier—He’s alive!”

The difference? Mary has spent time with Jesus, her living Lord! Abiding with Jesus will turn us into effective ministers of reconciliation, too!  

Pray with me…

Jesus, You are alive! You defeated death and the grave! You reign over heaven and earth and You’re coming back. I want to believe it, to look for Your appearing, to long for Your kingdom and to spread the news of Your return with all that is in me. Help me not to love my life to the death, but to understand while I’m here, that I’m here as a pilgrim. This is not our home. Because you walked out of the grave, one day, we’ll walk, too! Help us live like it today and tomorrow, and until we see You face to face. Amen!

Hugs,
Shellie