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The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." Matt. 28:5-10 As I write this “pondering” I realize that tomorrow is Good Friday. It is the day that we recognize the death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. By remembering the cross, the pain and the agony of His crucifixion we can see just how much He loves us and how far He was willing to go to redeem us. I am so thankful that the Easter story does not end at the point. You see, all other religions end there. Mohammed is buried, Confucius is buried, and Buddha is buried, but praise God, Jesus lives. He is alive. Don’t you just love those three words? HE IS ALIVE. HE IS ALIVE. I could just keep on saying it. Yet, if those words really mean something to us, they should impact us. Let me ask you a question – Does your live say, “He is alive” or does it say, “Is He alive?” Now think seriously on that question. Look at your life, look at the things that are priorities around you; look at your faith; look at your Christian walk. Now, what does your life declare – He is alive or Is He alive? I love to look at the response of the women at the tomb when they heard for the first time that Jesus was alive. They had to go and tell and I believe that when the people saw them and heard them, the demeanor and the passion of these ladies led them to believe those precious words – HE IS ALIVE. Our lives need to do the same. People need to be able to look to us, examine us and find that our lives cry out – HE IS ALIVE. Jeff Overton Senior Pastor |