Yes, He has risen!

I’m not sure Jesus had me in mind when he said, “No one has a greater love than to lay down one’s live for one’s friend”.

I have told this story before but, Easter Sunday, as a small child, had a different meaning for me than it does now. All I could think about was the Easter Basket, not just my Easter basket, but my brother and sister’s baskets as well. I may not have understand the true meaning of Easter, but I did understand candy, chocolate candy to be precise.

My mother would sternly say, under no circumstance, were we to eat any candy from our basket until after Church. That was sheer agony. Chocolate right there, the aroma, the coconut alone was worth the risk.

When no one was looking, I would quickly bite off the bottom of the huge chocolate coconut egg in my sister’s basket. Then inconspicuously fit the egg back into the basket, push it down a little into the green straw and place the jelly beans around the perimeter of the egg. Looks like it was never touched.

And as I think back to those days, I realize that I was truly a great brother. How lucky my sister was. I did all that extra work of hiding the chocolate egg just so my sister wouldn’t get in trouble. And then temptation got the best of me and I would begin snacking on the bottom of my own chocolate egg.

I know Jesus said Lay down your life for your friend, but he didn’t say sibling, so when my parents found out the chocolate egg sitting in my sister’s basket was missing the bottom, without any hesitation, I quickly picked up the egg in my basket and said, look, She ate mine too!

That’s not the love God wants us to imitate. But, as I grew in my faith, I understood the real meaning of love and today, the Resurrection, is truly the ultimate culmination of love. He has truly risen.

Today is Easter. Christ is risen! It was today that he renewed the earth. Renewing it, the Church and us as its members by bringing us back to a new life, a life full of hope. We are his friends and need him always, but more in these days than ever before in our lives.

Today, what a spectacular event took place in heaven. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, welcoming all those just souls rising up from under the earth. The heavenly embrace of longtime friends with Jesus.

On Good Friday He forgave us and called us his friend. For it was on that day He laid down his life for us, nailing all our sins to that Cross.  And this morning we see the empty tomb of the resurrected Jesus. He is not there, and still must be found. But for those who hope and search their hearts will rejoice, for he will be found.  

The Resurrection is a pure sign of hope and love, for those who remain as his friend. And today we see that image of love for a friend. It was Mary, who loved Jesus so much, who was first at the tomb.

It was John, the disciple whom Jesus loved and who loved Jesus, who was the first to believe in the Resurrection. It was that Love that gave them eyes to read the signs and a mind to understand.

It’s like a marriage, how easy it is to destroy that beautiful relationship, when the focus is on ourselves. How easy it is to miss the Lord when our focus is on ourselves!  Hard work that brings about many tests.

In these days we truly are being put to the test, and it is times as these that we can shine, that we can offer ourselves for the good of others, by doing all things pleasing to God; More praying, persevering with annoyances, fasting for repentance, holding one’s tongue, sharing what we have, and the list could go on being cramped up in a small area for a long. What little we may think we have, others have less.

There has never been a time where our Churches have closed, the House of God cannot be entered and our services are on line. It all seems to distant us so far from God. But this is also the greatest opportunity for the world to bring itself closer to our Creator. For lost souls to find the true way to be set free. This is a remarkable time for the world to know that God is in command.

When we do all things for the love of God on this journey, his eyes and strength will be upon us. And above all, he will certainly call us his friend. Then someday we will join that special group of his resurrected friends in heaven, his saints.  Happy Easter