Hoppy Easter: It’s a Foot Race
Hello Friends,
Happy Easter! or should I say, “Hoppy Easter!” Did the Easter Bunny come visit you today? I think I received a visit from the Easter Bunny. The Easter Bunny didn’t leave my anything but I noticed that a couple of my cereal boxes were EMPTY, an egg carton was EMPTY, the milk jug was EMPTY, the lemonade container was EMPTY, and my candy jar was EMPTY. Maybe the Easter Bunny ate all my food so that he/she would have enough energy to visit you!
Do you know of something else that was empty on Easter? That’s right, the tomb was empty on Easter! That tomb in which Jesus was laid to rest was EMPTY!! The tomb was EMPTY because Jesus lives! But do you know that people were running to see this empty tomb? I’m not very eager to run towards an empty candy jar, but some people become like Sonic and zoom to see anything. John, the author of the Gospel of John writes, “Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’s head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed…” (John 20:3-8). It was a foot race to the tomb.
Peter and this other disciple (probably John) raced to the tomb after Mary told them that Jesus wasn’t there. They ran so fast that dust clouds were trailing behind them: they wanted to see if Mary was telling the truth. When they got there, they skidded to a stop, looked in the tomb, noticed Jesus wasn’t there, and walked in. All they found were linen wrappings and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head. Other than those things, the tomb was empty. So did Peter and the other disciple race to the tomb for nothing? No way! When they got there, they began to believe what Jesus told them: after three days, “I will rise again.” Jesus is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25), and now people were beginning to believe him. Although the tomb was empty, Peter, the other disciple, Mary, and all of us are filled with belief that Jesus rose from the grave. Just because something appears to be empty doesn’t mean that there isn’t something still there for us to find and believe!
Jesus has risen and is in the world today! Jesus arose from the grave. Because Jesus lives we are no longer empty, but filled with love, peace, and salvation. Because Jesus lives, we can face tomorrow. Because Jesus lives, we have someone to lean on when we are scared. Because Jesus lives, we will never be EMPTY. Jesus is with us when we face the EMPTINESS in our lives. Jesus is with us NOW and FOREVER! Jesus has risen! Are you willing to have a foot race to see the empty tomb? You might be surprised at what you do and do not find!
I better get racing to the grocery store to replenish what the Easter Bunny ate at my house…. Hoppy Easter!
Your Friend, Holy Spirit!
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