SCRIP-BITS

HAPPY EASTER SUNDAY!

Oh Friends, oh Friends, it’s Easter Sunday morning! The stone has been rolled aside! The tomb is empty! The grave clothes lie neatly piled to one side! What’s happened? He is risen! Yes! Jesus Christ, the Son of God is risen this Easter Sunday morning, thus guaranteeing us salvation and eternal life! And all God’s people boldly and enthusiastically chorused: ‘Glory Glory Hallelujah! Glory Glory Hallelujah! Glory Glory Hallelujah! Jesus Christ is risen today!’ Ah Friends what a most wonderful day this is. It should be one of the happiest days in a believer’s life, because it’s the day Jesus finally fulfilled all the promises in the scripture, showing what a gracious, faithful and ever-LOVING God we serve and worship! Now since Jesus had been hurriedly entombed just before the start of the Sabbath, His body had not received the traditional anointing of Jewish burial tradition. So early on the morning following the Sabbath, a group of Jesus’ female followers went to the sepulchre with the spices and ointments to anoint Him, only troubled by getting past the big stone that guarded the tomb’s entrance? But much to their surprise, they found the stone rolled away. And their surprise further increased on discovering that the tomb was empty. But while they stood outside the tomb, worried and perplexed, two men in shining garments (angels) came up and asked the scared women: ‘Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words. And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest…And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they believed not.’ (Luke 23:5-9,11) Ah Friends, what else is new eh? Why do we all have such a hard time believing both Jesus’ words and movements? It’s not like He didn’t tell them what was going to happen, more than once too. Finally though, John and Peter ran to the tomb. John apparently got there first, but possibly scared, only looked in, while big, brave Peter, on arrival, went straight in. He saw the burial clothes at one side of the tomb, and the face cloth that had wrapped Jesus’ head neatly folded elsewhere. John eventually went in, took it all in and believed. ‘For as yet they knew not (didn’t understand) the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.’ (John 20:9)  And what was John and Peter’s response afterwards? ‘Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.’ (John 20:10) It’s obvious that Jesus’ followers were confused and scared, not knowing what to believe. And to a certain extent we can’t blame them, for they were simple, uneducated folk dealing with heavenly matters. And even now with all our hindsight and heightened intelligence, we still find it difficult to believe, so we have to cut the early believers some slack. Our Bit though clearly speaks to the problems that would ensue. ‘Verily, verily I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned to joy.’ Well my people, for the past two days we’ve been weeping, lamenting and very sorrowful, while the world rejoiced at the death of our supposed Saviour and Messiah. But today it’s an entirely different story! Today our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is risen from the dead! He’s defeated death and the grave, rising in a new form to bring eternal life to all who believe on Him! Because He rose from the dead, then ascended up to heaven, so too believers are ensured that they will also rise and enjoy eternal life with Christ and the Father. And as Jesus promised at the end of our Bit: ‘but your sorrow shall be turned to joy.’ Oh Friends, this Easter Sunday with Jesus’ triumphant resurrection, that’s exactly what’s happened. All the weeping and gnashing of teeth we endured for the last two days have been forgotten, because it’s a New Day! Our Saviour is alive! Glory Hallelujah! And since we all know the Easter story, I won’t get into it in any further detail. We’ll close though with another awesome promise of Jesus: ‘And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.’ (John 16:22) Oh my people, today is that day! So please let our hearts rejoice in Jesus’ resurrection, because no one can ever take away the joy that Jesus brought us when He paid for our sins with His death and established eternal life with His resurrection. So let’s celebrate the glorious victory, giving plenty, plenty thanks, and go out now with joyful praise: ‘Glory Glory Hallelujah! Glory Glory Hallelujah! Glory Glory Hallelujah! Worthy is the Lamb that was slain! But is risen in righteous glory today!’ Much LOVE mih people!…only the sinless Son of God…could have caused such a righteous commotion amongst mankind two thousand years ago…and is still causing it today…