Easter Sunday
Read John 20:1–18
Jesus is alive! My Lord lives!
With mourning I began my day. At dawn, the other women and I trudged out to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body and to say our goodbyes. Yet the stone and his body were gone. We didn’t know who had taken him; neither did his disciples. My mourning turned into despair. I could only stand outside his tomb and weep.
The one whose death I mourned came to me and comforted me, even when I didn’t recognize him. At the sound of my name, though, everything became clear. In front of me, alive and well, stood the one who had bowed his head just two days before. At the sound of my name, mourning turned into dancing. Death itself couldn’t conquer my master! I ran back to Jerusalem and told the disciples the good news. Our Messiah is alive! My spirit rejoices in God, my savior!
Jesus, live in and through us today and forever.
Text by Jodi Craiglow
Video from First United Presbyterian Church of Belleville, IL
Creation Lab, Chicago
Lenten Symbol: The Cross
As Reformed Protestants, we often depict the cross without Jesus’ body. Jesus is risen, but the cross is never truly empty. It carries great hope and promise. An ancient tool of torture became the promise of Christ’s resurrection.