The Promise of the Resurrection

Promises....promises....promises.  She thought how that word had received a lot of attention in the national news this past year.  Of course, politicians never keep their promises!  A promise was always something that people respected and held dear.  "Promise?"  A question one made to guarantee the pledge made by another.  And now, promises began to be questioned as meaningless or absurd.  Hadn't they taught their children to 'promise' to tell the truth, no matter the consequences?  And they had obeyed. But now...would the word 'promise' ever have the same meaning?

What about God's promises, she wondered.  Does God ever break His promise?  Have all God's promises come true?  Should we believe in the promises of God?

Now as she thought about Easter and the incredible promise of the resurrection and eternal life, she knew she wanted God's promise to be true!  She looked at the scriptures and began to investigate God's promises.  Amazing!  For one thing, the coming of the Messiah is promised and predicted countless times in the Old Testament.  And did God's promise of a Messiah hold true?  Fulfilled in the New Testament!

What about promises made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David?  Wow!  She found that all of God's promises came true.  By reading the scriptures she discovered God's promises are "good, holy, exceeding great and precious, obtained through faith, given to those who believe and performed in due season".  Yes, God keeps His promises!

How then did she know the promise of the resurrection was true?  She searched more.  Jesus told His disciples in Luke 18: 31-33, "all things written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.  For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon. They will scourge Him and kill Him.  And the third day He will rise again."

And then she read those wonderful words in Luke 24: 4-7 when the women went to the tomb, found the stone rolled away and no Jesus. "And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.  Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen!  Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'"

There it was.  Jesus predicted and promised He would 'rise again' and He did!  The resurrection was true.

All the wonderful Easters of the past swept through her memories....white lilies decorating the sanctuaries - their perfume filling the church, choirs singing the Hallelujah chorus, ladies decked out in new spring hats and gloves and purses, churches filled to standing room only, the excitement of wearing a new Easter dress,  coloring Easter eggs and then hiding them for the annual Easter egg hunt, chocolate Easter bunnies (yum- especially Russell Stover!).

Yes, but is that all Easter is about?  True, Easter is a celebration and she remembered all those family gatherings.  She knew Easter is the most precious day in the Christian calendar because she knew with the promise of the resurrection we have eternal life.  This earthly life is so temporary.  When she was younger, she never thought about life being temporary.  She was so absorbed in living, enjoying, tasting, experiencing, testing, moving, listening, absorbing and all the other myriad particles of life, she thought her happy, creative, fulfilled life would just continue on this earth forever.  But now as friends around her were dying, as she had come close to dying herself, the realization of death was right in front of her face.  Did she fear death?  Why is it that the word 'death' causes people to shudder?

She now honestly could say she did not fear death.  After what she had experienced in the past four years...the presence of Jesus... the love and care caressing her, assured her there was no fear in leaving this earthly life.  She knew that Jesus is real...and He is alive!  Hadn't God promised a heavenly home more beautiful than this earthly home?  Hadn't God promised there would be nothing to worry about, that she would be cared for?

She remembered when her dad died suddenly at 67 years of age. She had gone to stay with her mom. That night she woke from a deep sleep and saw her dad standing by the bedroom door.  "Daddy!"  she had exclaimed, so overjoyed to see him.  As she reached out to hug him, he said, "Don't touch me.  I just want you to know everything is beautiful."  And then he was gone.  She never forgot that special moment, that assurance, that comfort.

Yes, she thought excitedly.  Death should not be something we fear, but something we anticipate because Jesus promised us eternal life.  We die to this earthly life, but the resurrected eternal life promises to be better.  Knowing Him, worshipping Him, believing Him, surrendering to Him gives us unspeakable promises of joy.

"Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people.  God Himself will be with them and be their God.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying.  There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."  Revelation 21: 3-4.

Easter Sunday, the day of celebrating resurrection, she wanted to raise her hands and shout with laughing eyes and sparkling smile, HE IS RISEN!  YES, RISEN INDEED!  Yes, God's promise kept.