Not in the Grave
Inside Edition reports:
In 2000, Fatima and Kamaron Hickman welcomed the birth of their first and only child together on Aug. 21 in Landstuhl, Germany, where the young Army couple was stationed.
Jada Hickman died of SIDS when she was only 6 months old. Her parents grieved her death, burying her at Hillcrest Memorial Park. Over 20 years later, her parents decided to exume her body and have it cremated so that a part of her could be with each of them no matter where they were.
But when the cemetary attempted to exume her body, they could not find it. According to Inside Edition:
The anguished parents of Jada Hickman say there is nothing left of their baby's remains after 22 years at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Augusta, Georgia. Not her casket, not her white dress, not her shoes, not her tiny body or skeleton. "As we discussed with you, we apologize that due to the passage of time, we were unable to recover the remains of your daughter," wrote a cemetery official in an email to the mother.
Jada's body couldn't be found, whether because (as the cemetary claims) she had already rapidly decomposed, or because (as her father claims) she was buried in the wrong place, or because she was never actually buried at all.
But the story for Jesus is different. Jesus' body couldn't be found because He rose from the grave! And this wasn't 20 years later, but on the third day, when there was no confusion about where or how He was buried.
The plain truth is that Jesus rose. No sorrow. No confusion. Just incomparable joy!
Our risen Savior, with us always ... everywhere we go.
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ...
Then Jesus came to them and said, "...surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - Matthew 28:6, 20, NIV
A Gentler Kinder Easter
The Hill reports PETA President, Ingrid Newkirk, in a letter to the White House, requests they make some significant changes to their annual Easter Egg Roll, scheduled for April 1, 2024, on the White House lawn.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is calling on the White House to roll a different way this spring — swapping chicken eggs for potatoes at the annual Easter Egg Roll. ...
“Potatoes are the most popular vegetable in the country and can be safely dyed, allowing for spudtacular traditional activities, such as rolling them, seeking for them, and decorating them. You could even hold potato sack races and games of hot potato!” the letter to the first lady said.
Newkirk urged Biden to “leave a legacy of kindness” by starting a new potato-filled tradition at the White House.
Whether you think Easter Egg hunts are fabulous or frivilous, it's far more than some of the traditional Easter trappings which the world is calling us to revamp and rethink lately.
Churches across America (and across the globe) are being called to present a kinder, gentler version of the Gospel itself. In the name of leaving a "legacy of kindness," the world would have us to water down the truth and the power of the Gospel message.
Indeed, the offer of salvation is for ALL, regardless of our past or current sins or lifestyles. Yet it is a "Come as you are!" message, not a "Come as you; stay as you are!" message. That said, God calls us to repentence and newness of life.
Affirming unbelievers in their sin is neither kinder nor gentler. Affirming unbelievers in their need for a savior is both and more!
Don't settle for a counterfeit gospel which amounts to nothing more than a basket of colored potatoes. Celebrate new life in Christ this Easter, in all its redemptive glory!
"Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out ..." (Acts 3:19, ESV).
"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Peter 3:9, ESV).
All Murder and Violence and No Donuts
I am a Pastor at a Lutheran church in Florida. Every year we have a tenebrae service on Good Friday. We incorporate some contemplative and somber elements into the service to reflect on the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. We end the service with a silent video clip from an edited black and white version of "Passion of the Christ" while someone sings "Jesus Paid it All" quietly in the background. Then we walk out of the sanctuary in darkness and silence.
Last year, after the service was over I asked an 8 year old girl what she thought of it. She said, "All murder and violence and no donuts." Reflecting back on the service I understand what she meant. The service was lacking the usually celebratory tone that the Sunday morning services offer, and yes, it was lacking donuts.
The word tenebrae actually means darkness. It seems strange that "Good" Friday would be full of darkness.
In order to come to a greater appreciation for the passion of Christ, we have to take a graphic look at the price He paid for us. Things looked pretty bleak for the disciples after the sun went down the day Jesus died. I can only imagine that what they were feeling at the time was probubly pretty dark, too -- hopelessness, despair, and shame.
Participating in the darkness, I think, lets us remember the despair we would all feel without the cross. Our sin would separate us from God for eternity without it, without Jesus. Fully experiencing the darkness without Jesus on Good Friday lets us fully experience the joy of the resurrection on Sunday. When we have a greater appreciation for the cross, worship is a celebration every Sunday, all year long, and even donuts become part of the joy we have in Christ.