A different kind of Easter

He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.  -Matthew 28:6 (NIV)

I usually try and fill this space with original material, at least as original as a guy can be who has been heavily influenced by good people sharing good thoughts about God, life, and scripture for going on six decades. But I had some outstanding material come across my desk this week, and it pertains directly to the fact that my "desk", at least for now, is the breakfast table of my house, where I've been working remotely since mid-March. So this week, I'm going to share a couple items with you that I trust will be a blessing.

The first was submitted by a lady named Erin Holmes to a website called "Love What Matters". I will put the text here, but if you want to see the original submission, it can be found at  Love What Matters what_easter_is_about.

We are about to learn, for the first time as a generation, that Easter is not about…

A new dress.
A fancy hat.
Coordinating outfits.
Big hair.
Floral prints.
Eggs.
Decorative crosses.
A well-worded sermon.
A hyped-up music program.
Selfies.
Friends.
Chocolate.
New toys.
Baskets of candy.
Bunnies.
Family portraits.
Inspiring dramas.
Packed churches.
Breaking records.
Guest retention.
Fancy lights.
Children’s programs.
Family dinner.

We are about to learn that Easter… or Resurrection Sunday…is about…

An empty tomb.
Life over death.
Fulfilled promises.
Answered prayers.
Victory over death.
Triumph over hell.
Crushing the grip of the grave.
Hope for tomorrow.

None of which require a single, solitary thing from the first list.

This year, Easter will be quiet, intimate communion with Jesus… and that’s okay.

May it change the way we look at Easter.
May it change the way we worship.
May it change the way we live our lives forever.

Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ you tell them....  -Joshua 4:5-7 (NIV)

The second is a five-and-a-half-minute video about remembering. The man in the video, Steve Brown, is a radio announcer - you may recognize his voice when he starts talking. He will reference an event in Israel's history where they were told to set up some stones to mark a memory in their journey to the promised land (Joshua 4:1-9). Here it is:  Steve Brown don't_forget_to_remember.

I can't help but be reminded of another stone, one that was rolled away from the entrance of a tomb. I pray that you and your family are setting up some stones of remembrance in your own life during this season. Not just memories of toilet paper shortages and a 24x7 news cycle of disease and death, but markers that will help you remember, long after God's deliverance has come to fruition, that He has always been good, He has always been strong, and He has always been faithful. Blessings to you and yours this Resurrection Sunday.

P.S. I won't put the text here, but I invite you to read Revelation 5: Revelation 5 (NIV).  He is worthy!