I want to reflect on the activities surrounding Easter and the Risen Christ.
It was on Feb 27, 1991 at the height of Desert Storm that Ruth Dillow received a very sad message from the Pentegon. It stated that her son Clayton Carpenter ,private first class had stepped on a mine in Kuwait and was dead.
Ruth Dillow later wrote “I can’t begin to describe my grief and shock.. It was almost more than I could stand. For three days I wept, for three days I expressed anger and loss; for three days people tried to comfort me , to no avail because the loss was too great.”
3 days after receiving that call, the telephone rang. The voice on the other end said, “Mom, its me, I am alive!” ” I couldn’t believe it at first. Then I recognized his voice, and he really was alive, the message three days ago was a mistake!”
She said ” I laughed, I cried, I felt like turning cartwheels, because my son, whom I had thought was dead was really alive. I am sure none of you can begin to understand how I felt”
Perhaps not. But some who walked the pages of the New Testament wold have understood how she felt because they experienced the same emotions themselves. One days the watched their best friend and teacher being nailed to a cross. They witnessed his pain as he cried out “I thirst” and “My God, my God, why have your forsaken me.?”
They listened as finally he bowed his head and said “it is finished” and “Father, into my hands I commit my spirit” They watched as his body was taken from the tree and buried. All their hopes and dreams were buried with Him. Scriptures say that early in the morning on the first day of the week, some women came to the tomb to anoint the body. But the tomb was empty., and an angel said to them, “you are looking in the wrong place, he is not dead, He is alive.. He has risen!”
Maybe we have heard this biblical account many times before. But we who are here today need to have the same emotions that Ruth Dillow and the women at the tomb had. We should be laughing, crying and shouting Hallelujah!
Have we believers become so complacent that Christ’s death and resurrection that cancelled all our sins and gave us life eternal, is just another biblical story? If Jesus Christ had not came to earth to teach, preach heal, die and was resurrected to leave us a legacy of leading an exemplary Christian life.,we would be in darkness with no hope for a future let alone life on this earth guided by the Devil and not the Spirit.
We are Easter children and our excitement at the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, should motivate us to share the Good News with others. Scripture calls us to make disciples of all the world, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,. Go forth and shine your light into this sometimes dark work. Amen
Ozarkparson's Blog 