Easter!

"He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay."
-Matthew 28:6

Easter just comes and goes, doesn't it? It's one amazing four day weekend filled with celebrations as many choose to get baptised and proclaim their faith to the world! It's honestly so beautiful and such a joyous time of year!

But the beauty of it all lies in the SELF resurrection of Jesus Christ our LORD. He's the reason why we have this weekend and He's the reason why we celebrate! In Matthew, a few of Jesus' friends (Mary x2 and Martha) decide to go and visit His tomb to mourn and to maybe clean up a bit. When they arrive, they find an empty grave and AN ANGEL! Obviously, they are shocked and even more so when the angel talks to them. Matthew 28:6 is what the angel tells them after the initial shock.

It's very important that Jesus predicted His own death AND His own resurrection. Before His death, He raised His friend Lazarus from the dead along with a couple others. Being alive and raising others from the dead is a pretty amazing feat that no one else has managed to accomplish within the last 2000 years. BUT an even more amazing miracle is raising yourself from the dead, something only GOD could possibly accomplish. I was thinking over the resurrection and its effects on the disciples during service on Sunday. If Jesus had told them that he would come back from the dead, how come they were so shocked and didn't believe Him? Then, I wondered if I would be amongst the people who really wondered if He really was the Son of GOD. He did perform miracles, live a righteous and holy life and was in direct connection with GOD. I think I would truly still have doubts in my head as it's scientifically impossible to come back to life after dying. It's incredulous even after seeing all the miracles and still not be able to get over the fact that He had risen from the dead.

When the angel invites the women to see the place where the LORD lay, he invited them to see where He had conquered death and sin for all eternity! Just as the angel invited the women to see and accept this gift, GOD invites us daily to eat of His bread and to spend time with Him! Where death was conquered, sin was vanquished and overcome! Praise the LORD and come to see the place where the LORD LAY!

Amen.