Alleluia! – April 15, 2001
In springtime, the Northern Hemisphere of the world awakens. Scents of moist earth freshen the winter air, blossoms delight the eyes, songbirds return to nest in budding trees, and sunlight wraps us in its promise of summer days. It’s as if the earth itself is teaching us how to celebrate the anniversary of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
That first Easter morning, Mary arrived at the tomb before daylight and found it empty. Certain that someone had taken the body of her beloved Master, she stood outside the sepulcher and wept.
Jesus appeared and asked: “Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?”
Mary thought Him to be the gardener as she said, “Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him.”2
Jesus tenderly spoke her name. Recognizing the familiar sound, Mary cried out, “Rabboni!”3
In an instant Mary’s sorrow was turned to joy. The fact that the tomb was empty was no longer a cause for despair. He had risen! He had conquered death! He lives!
Mary’s jubilation echoes through generations of men and women who come to discover for themselves that the tomb is empty.
“Alleluia!” they sing through autumns filled with labor and toil. “Praise ye the Lord!” they cry through winters of sorrow and grief. “Hallelujah!” they shout when hope returns to nest in their hearts. “He is risen!” they sigh as His light wraps them in the promise of better days. Like earth in its springtime, they’re renewed. As with Mary, their sorrow is turned to rejoicing. It’s the miracle of the empty tomb. It’s the celebration of Easter.
Program #3739
1. John 20:15.
2. John 20:15.
3. John 20:16.