And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. (Mark 16:4)
Death is the great enigma of life. As
my husband often says, we are all terminal. Death is the common end, no matter
what life has been. No matter how we regard it, it has the final say… at least
it did have the final say.
Then came the first Easter day and—the
stone was rolled away! Mark says it was very large, but no matter, now it is
gone and One who traveled that assumed final journey came back. Death is no
longer a dark cave but a tunnel with a golden light at the end, a highway, a
welcome entrance into eternal life.
The promise of that life has a caveat
though. Actually, the promise is not so much about living forever, but about
where I will spend it. The Bible says all will be raised, but not all will
experience that which Jesus came to bring us. This eternal life is a gift, and as all gifts, it can be received or
rejected.
And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11–12)
As we sang the
songs on Sunday, we could joyfully sense the life of Christ in ourselves and in
that place. We could see His peace on faces and feel His blessing as we
worshiped Him. Most of all, He confirmed to our hearts that death has lost its power,
its sting. In Him, there is life, and for those who have received His gift, He has
brought that life into ours.
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11)
It’s Tuesday,
and I am still celebrating Easter!
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