The Angels said to the women coming to anoint Jesus’ body, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen.” The empty tomb means something very special for all of us. It means that our graves can be empty too. My best friend’s dad was very close to me and I valued him as a mentor in many ways. He taught me to be meticulous in my work and to be honest and upright in all that I do. I relied on him for advice in certain matters that he was best suited to give an answer on. When he passed away, it was a great loss to me, but I never went back to visit his grave. I asked his wife who is also a dear friend if she ever went back to visit his grave and she said, “no, because he’s not there”.
When Jesus went to raise Lazarus from the dead, he said two things that seem like the same thing, but they are not. He said that anyone who believes in Him, even though they are dead, they will live. I think He was talking about those who had believed in the Messiah but had died before He came. Then, he said, whoever is alive and believes in me will never die. He’s talking here about us. We who believe and are alive will never die. There is no death between here and Heaven. Our graves, like Jesus’ grave, will also be empty. The only thing remaining will be a vacant shell. The grave will be empty.
This Easter Sunday is going to be awesome! We had our rehearsal for the worship team last night and it was so great! We are so blessed to have great musicians and worship leaders. The theme is “Crosses and Crowns”, and I can’t wait to share this message with you. If you only attend one service this year, make it this one!