It’s Easter Day!!  What we discover on this glorious day is an unexpected surprise…

No, wait….the bigger surprise…Jesus, whom we thought had died and was gone forever, is now alive!  He has risen from the dead!

 

(Drawing is “The Resurrection of Christ” by Michaelangelo, 1525)

Ah, not only did Resurrection happen on that one day, Life was set free in such a way that Resurrection happens everywhere, everyday, in amazingly incredible ways.

 

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).  He also said, “You are the light of the world”

That light born on Christmas Eve has now burst forth out of the dark tomb and exploded into the hearts of all humanity for all eternity.  Our question comes from the hymn “He Lives” by Alfred H. Ackley, 1933.  “You ask me how I know he lives?”  And the answer is, “He lives within my heart!”. By the grace of God, we KNOW Jesus is alive because he has come to live inside our own heart.

On Palm Sunday I was with my grandchildren.  Travis, age 3, had been told the Easter story in his Sunday School Class. He brought what he had made with him in the car…

All the way home he was telling the story…Mary saw Jesus alive on Easter morning.  She ran to tell the good news, “I’ve seen the Lord!”. Then, by rotating the top paper plate, Travis rolled the stone away to show “Jesus is alive!”.  He then began to softly say a prayer to Jesus.  I listened carefully and heard the closing words, “Jesus, I love you.  Amen”

“You ask me how I know he lives?  He lives within my heart!”

Pondering…

What have you experienced that makes you know Jesus lives in your heart?

How has Christ been present for you in this Journey of Lent?

Happy Easter dear friend!  It has been a joy to share this time with you.  I’ll be writing more this week as I travel to Tennessee for a writer’s retreat.

nk