From the Pastor's Desk (Apr. 2025)
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ~Luke 24:1-3
There aren’t many times in life where one may consider emptiness a good thing. I still remember returning home from vacation a few years back, and we were in a somewhat desolate part of Virginia where there were several exits in a row showing no gas stations on the blue signs that tell you what is off each exit, just as our tank was getting low. The mileage indicator was quickly dropping from 40 to 30, and before long it was the 4 dashes that meant, get gas now, but still no gas stations in sight. We finally found one, got off the exit, and just before getting to the turn for the gas station, the engine shut off. Boy how glad we were that we weren’t stuck on the interstate, but still, it couldn’t hold out another 300 feet???
As summer approaches, the water jugs will be coming out as we get more active and require more water to stay hydrated, but have you ever been incredibly thirsty and reached for your water jug, only to find that it was empty? What about when your bank accounts, refrigerator, or even your very life all seem to be teetering on the empty side?
I can think of one thing that should bring us great joy knowing that it is empty, and that’s the tomb of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are reminded that Easter is the season of emptiness, but it is not at all a bad thing, although the events that transpired to make Easter so victorious were very traumatic at the time. For just over 30 years, Heaven was empty of Jesus’ presence, as He came to earth to show us the way to salvation and then seal the deal with His death on the cross. His body was emptied of joy and happiness, not to mention His blood and water as He breathed His last on the cross.
But then, on Sunday morning, what would become the very first Easter Sunday, one more thing was found empty, and that began the refilling process of everything else that had been left empty. Jesus was risen, came back to life, walking out of that tomb and left it empty. His joy returned, as did all who would believe in Him. Eventually He returned to Heaven, refilling that void. And now all of us who feel empty in this life have the promise of being filled by Christ Jesus – to be made full of joy, full of hope, full of life, and full of His Spirit. And one day, Heaven will no longer be empty of our presence either, as we eagerly await the day in which we can walk through the gates to join Jesus around His table, also full of the components of the best feast we will ever have. Because of Jesus Christ, nothing will ever be empty again – in fact, quite the opposite, as we are reminded in Psalm 23 that our cup will eternally run over! I hope you have a blessed Easter as you find joy in this beautiful promise! ~Pastor Eric
There aren’t many times in life where one may consider emptiness a good thing. I still remember returning home from vacation a few years back, and we were in a somewhat desolate part of Virginia where there were several exits in a row showing no gas stations on the blue signs that tell you what is off each exit, just as our tank was getting low. The mileage indicator was quickly dropping from 40 to 30, and before long it was the 4 dashes that meant, get gas now, but still no gas stations in sight. We finally found one, got off the exit, and just before getting to the turn for the gas station, the engine shut off. Boy how glad we were that we weren’t stuck on the interstate, but still, it couldn’t hold out another 300 feet???
As summer approaches, the water jugs will be coming out as we get more active and require more water to stay hydrated, but have you ever been incredibly thirsty and reached for your water jug, only to find that it was empty? What about when your bank accounts, refrigerator, or even your very life all seem to be teetering on the empty side?
I can think of one thing that should bring us great joy knowing that it is empty, and that’s the tomb of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We are reminded that Easter is the season of emptiness, but it is not at all a bad thing, although the events that transpired to make Easter so victorious were very traumatic at the time. For just over 30 years, Heaven was empty of Jesus’ presence, as He came to earth to show us the way to salvation and then seal the deal with His death on the cross. His body was emptied of joy and happiness, not to mention His blood and water as He breathed His last on the cross.
But then, on Sunday morning, what would become the very first Easter Sunday, one more thing was found empty, and that began the refilling process of everything else that had been left empty. Jesus was risen, came back to life, walking out of that tomb and left it empty. His joy returned, as did all who would believe in Him. Eventually He returned to Heaven, refilling that void. And now all of us who feel empty in this life have the promise of being filled by Christ Jesus – to be made full of joy, full of hope, full of life, and full of His Spirit. And one day, Heaven will no longer be empty of our presence either, as we eagerly await the day in which we can walk through the gates to join Jesus around His table, also full of the components of the best feast we will ever have. Because of Jesus Christ, nothing will ever be empty again – in fact, quite the opposite, as we are reminded in Psalm 23 that our cup will eternally run over! I hope you have a blessed Easter as you find joy in this beautiful promise! ~Pastor Eric
Recent
Archive
Categories
no categories
No Comments