Church in the Windshield

Church in the Windshield

Easter Sunday

April 21, 2019

 

Christ the Lord is risen today and I am so glad! I heard of a number of Sunrise services today or perhaps I should say “Son Rise” services. It does our hearts good to know that churches everywhere are celebrating Easter because this is resurrection morning. Sheron and I have been to Jerusalem (several years back) and saw the place that supposedly was the actual tomb of Jesus. It was empty just like Peter, John and Mary said, (St. John 20:1-10) . . . it was Awesome . . . it was eerie . . . it gave us “cold chills” and “goose bumps.” “He is not here, he is risen as he said,” (Matthew 28:6). Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb early on Sunday morning to care for Jesus. Obviously, she had been worried about the care of Jesus and about how she would get the stone rolled away. The stone, similar to the one in the picture, weighed approximately fifteen hundred to two thousand pounds. It would have been difficult for her to move the stone up the incline, let alone place a stone underneath to keep it from rolling back down.  The picture of the tomb is not of the actual tomb of Jesus but, was borrowed from the internet. We were not allowed to take pictures of the actual tomb. Peter and John peered into the tomb and saw strips of linen used in the burial. A neatly folded cloth, used to wrap Jesus, was placed at the head.

Some think the cloth was the Shroud of Jesus (today called “The Shroud of Turin”) that we have heard about on the news of recent years. The shroud produced a negative image of a crucified man, but it is uncertain whether or not that it was Jesus.

Peter and John went back to where they were staying but, Mary remained. She looked in the tomb and saw two men dressed in white, one at each end of the burial place. The two men asked, “Why are you crying?” Mary responded with “Because they have taken away my Lord’s body and I don’t know where they have put him.” Then Jesus appeared behind her but she thought it was the gardener until he called her by name. Mary reached out to hug Jesus but he said, “Do not touch me for I have not ascended to God the Father (paraphrased). Mary then went and told the Disciples.

Each one of us plays a character in the Easter story. Which character(s) do you relate with?

Peter and John that saw what happened and then immediately went back to their normal life?

Mary who waited and then experienced the great joy of the appearance of Jesus?

Do you relate with the angels that were the gatekeepers of the tomb?

Until next time, Praise God for this wonderful day of resurrection and celebration.

Drivers behind the windshield

Ron & Sheron