“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.”
Luke 24:1-3 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/luk.24.1-3.ESV
Can you imagine the sadness the women carried on their way to the tomb? Yet, they carried it together…united in their purpose of taking the spices they had prepared. Imagine the confusion as they began to process the message…
“And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,”
Luke 24:5-6 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/luk.24.5-6.ESV
“Remember how he told you…” …trying to wrap their mind around what they had heard and seen prior to what they were now experiencing. They witnessed the gruesome death of their friend, their teacher, their Messiah; and to now have even a glimmer of hope that He was alive! Imagine the joy once they realized that Jesus truly was alive—risen from the dead!
United in grief, then confusion, and then in elation at the resurrection of the Master.
Something that we know, but may need to fully grasp, struck me early this Easter morning, and then was touched on by our pastor in the sermon…Easter is our unification as Christians. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the Tie that binds us together. He is the Hope, the Joy, and the Elation we experience when we accept and celebrate the resurrection. When others do the same, we share a common ground that unites us.
Definitions from Dictionary.com app:
Elation / noun / a feeling or state of great joy or pride; exultant gladness; high spirits.
Unite / verb (used with object) u·nit·ed, u·nit·ing. / to join, combine, or incorporate so as to form a single whole or unit.
Before Jesus was crucified, He prayed for us that we may walk in unity. He says that is how the world will know that we are His…because of our oneness…
“I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.”
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”
John 17:9, 20-23 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/jhn.17.20.ESV
It really is a beautiful thing to see when the church comes together, single-minded, loving each other, in spite of minor differences, in order that others may know Him.
For me, Easter feels like a turning point to the rest of the year…a fresh start with a fresh outlook. I embrace the reflection and celebration of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection more than ever before. And, this year, more than ever before, I embrace the reminder that the resurrection is the unification of all who believe and accept Jesus as their Savior…near and far…for the glory of God the Father.
When I think of the women going to the tomb, I can imagine how overly excited they would have been had they gone expecting to see an empty tomb because of the risen Savior. They would have gone celebrating. May we who know truth today celebrate that the tomb is empty!
“Rejoice always,”
1 Thessalonians 5:16 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/1th.5.16.ESV
Simply Celebrate With Jackie 