Dear Church Family Members:

How do you view life? Are you a “glass-half-full” or a “glass-half-empty” type of person? In recent weeks there have been many “half-empty’ days as we endure the coronavirus pandemic and resulting economic collapse. But even in this challenging time, there have been “half-full” moments – when neighbors help neighbors, teachers reach out to students through internet communications, families grow closer as they spend more time together, etc.

 

The first Holy week included both “empty” and “full” days:

  •  Palm Sunday was “full” with such hope and optimism as Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem and the people shouted, “Hosanna! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.”
  •  Maundy Thursday was a blend of both – “full” of Jesus’ love for his disciples demonstrated by washing their feet and instituting  new meaning for the meal in the upper room, yet “empty” with the disciples arguing about who was the greatest and Jesus’ prediction that one of them would betray him that evening and another would deny knowing him before morning.  As the night progressed, the emptiness continued as Jesus prayed while his followers dozed, and eventually Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.
  • Good Friday was also a sad and “empty” day as Jesus was tried, convicted, sentenced to die and crucified – paying the price for our sins.  His body was hurriedly removed from the cross and placed temporarily in a borrowed tomb.
  • The following day was also an “empty” day – Jesus’ body was in the tomb, the disciples were in hiding with questions of what had taken place and fear of being arrested for their association with Jesus.
  • The next morning began as a very “empty” day as the women went to the tomb to prepare Jesus’ body for final entombment.  But that emptiness was eventually transformed into overflowing fullness as the followers of Jesus gradually learned of Jesus’ resurrection.

The tomb is not “half full” nor “half empty” – it is entirely EMPTY.  Jesus, who once was dead, is alive!  No longer is the tomb needed, because Jesus is resurrected.  That is the Good News of Easter and the basis for our Christian faith. Because the tomb is EMPTY, we may be FULL with the love and mercy offered to us through Jesus Christ.  Gloria and William Gaither wrote the following lyrics:

God sent his Son, they called Him Jesus; He came to love, heal and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon; An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow; Because He lives, all fear is gone.
Because I know He holds the future And life is worth the living just because He lives.

While we are still not able to physically worship together, my prayer is that the coming days may be full of joy as we celebrate the empty tomb.

 

Rev. Martha A. Dominy