Easter Devotion
April 11, 2004
Ward Wilson, Pastor
Williamsburg First/Pleasant View/andLiberty UM Churches

Easter is a special time for many people of the world. Parties, dresses, chocolate candy, and most assuredly, Easter egg hunts with prizes galore are part of the Easter festivities. Yet, when all this glamour and superficial celebration is taken away, Easter remains special only to a smaller group of people world-wide called Christians.

It isa time of celebration. As Christians, we hear the Easter story and move from the passion and suffering of Christ to His unpredicted resurrection … from death to life. As Christians we move from the foot of the cross where we are judged and found guilty, to the rolled back stone of forgiveness and new life! There is no greater reason to celebrate than to know that Christ gives life to those who deserve much less!

Yet, on that first Easter morning, the two disciples came to the tomb and found it empty. In less than a celebrative mood, they returned to their homes. However, it was Mary Magdalene who stayed at the tomb, made inquiry, searched and found the Resurrected Lord. The celebration began, and the first sermon on the resurrection was delivered by Mary as she told the disciples what she had diligently searched for and discovered.

The risen Lord is somewhere in the midst of our Easter celebration. The cross is tangible, touchable, and a reminder of the agony of death. But the resurrection is intangible, unseen and if we are to find the risen Christ, like Mary, we must search for Him deeply in the marrow of our minds, hearts, and souls or like the disciples, return home, never really understanding that He is Risen.