WATCHWORD:
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” Matthew 28:1-10
Meditation:
Empty Egg – A True Easter Story
Jeremy Forester was born with a twisted body, a slow mind and chronic, terminal illness that had been slowly killing him all his young life. His parents tried to give him as normal a life as possible and had sent him to St. Theresa’s Elementary School.
At the age of 12, Jeremy was only in second grade. Jeremy would often irritate his teacher, Doris Miller, as he would squirm in his seat, drool and make grunting noises. One day Doris called his parents and asked them to come to the school for a consultation.
The Foresters sat quietly in the empty classroom while Doris said to them, “Jeremy really belongs in a special school. It isn’t fair to him to be with younger children who don’t have learning problems. Mrs. Forrester cried into a tissue, while her husband explained that there was no school of that kind nearby and it would be a terrible shock to Jeremy if he had to move.
Doris sat for a long time after they left. She wanted to sympathize with the Foresters, but it wasn’t fair to other kids to keep him in her class, he was a distraction. From that day on she tried to ignore his noises and stares.
Spring came and the children talked excitedly about Easter. Doris wanted to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth so she gave each child a plastic egg and told them to take it home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. All the kids were excited but Jeremy just sat there, not making any noises, with his eyes glued to her face.
The next morning the children came to school and placed their eggs on the desk. Late in the day it was time to open the eggs. The first egg contained a flower, “yes a flower is certainly a sign of new life”, Doris said as a girl in front cried out that was her egg.
After a few eggs, Miss Miller opened up an egg to find it was empty. Surely it must be Jeremy’s, he must not have understood her instructions.
She started to set the egg aside when Jeremy asked if she was going to talk about his egg. Flustered, she replied with “But, Jeremy, your egg is empty.” He looked into her eyes and explained that Jesus’ tomb was empty, too! Doris was shocked, she asked him if he knew why the tomb was empty. Jeremy exclaimed that Jesus was killed and then his Father raised him up.
When the recess bell ran and the children were gone, Doris cried. All the coldness inside her melted away.
Three months later, Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket, all of them empty.
The empty egg, the empty tomb, the true message of Easter. He is risen, He is risen indeed! Hallelujah! Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Easter Sunday Morning — The other Mary and another woman go to the tomb. It is empty! The angel tells them “He is not here, He has risen! Go tell his disciples, and Peter, He will meet them on the hill, near Capernaum. He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
An Easter Prayer:
A prayer for the day and for Easter Dinner —
Dear Heavenly Father, We offer you gratitude for the ability to gather on this Easter Sunday. We recall how your son gathered with his disciples when he walked the earth. He broke bread with them and enjoyed their company. We thank you for his example as we come together to do the same.
As we ask you to bless our time together, we remember why we celebrate Easter. The sacrifice of your son’s very body for our sin was costly. Jesus willingly subjected himself to suffering so that we could be forgiven and free. While the cross symbolizes his death, it also symbolizes the promise of new life—a life that can only come from You.
Make the resurrection personal to us—help it to inspire and change the way we live each day beyond Easter. Make us agents of your hope by what we do for others and claim for our lives. Strengthen our belief so that we might continue enjoying spiritual treasures from your hand as we rest in the promise of the life to come.
We ask all of this in Jesus’ victorious name, Amen.
