Jesus, an Easter present

Are you expecting the Easter Bunny to visit your house this Sunday? Even though we know that Easter is really about Jesus, it's fun to get a basket of candy, and a lot of kids expect it.

If your Easter basket was empty on Easter morning, you might feel sad or angry. But in this week's Gospel (John 20:1-9), Jesus' friends aren't upset about finding something empty -- they're happy!

Three days after Jesus died, Mary Magdalene went to the cave where He was buried. The huge stone that had covered the cave opening was moved away! Mary Magdalene told Peter and another disciple, and they ran back to the cave and looked inside. Jesus' body was gone! Jesus had risen from the dead.

When you're expecting a present like an Easter basket, you feel happy just thinking about it -- but you might also feel a little scared. What if the Easter Bunny forgets to stop at your house? It wouldn't be much fun to celebrate Jesus' coming back to life at Easter without candy, would it?

Jesus' followers weren't sure what to expect on the very first Easter. They were sad that Jesus, their friend and teacher, had died; they weren't happy about visiting His grave when they missed Him so much. They felt scared that even though He promised to come back, He WOULD still be dead!

If your Easter basket was empty, you might feel sad. But when Jesus' friends found His grave empty, they were happy. Now they knew that Jesus had come back to life, and they would see Him again! Candy might be a nice thing to have at Easter, but for Jesus' followers and for us, having Jesus back forever is even nicer!

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK: Jesus, help me to remember that your empty cave is even better than a full Easter basket! Amen.

(03-27-97) [[In-content Ad]]