We had the opportunity and privilege of spending Easter weekend at Lake Oconee with both of our daughters, and with both my parents and Lisa’s parents. It was a wonderful weekend of laughter, conversation, boat rides, and great food. Sunday we got up early and took in a local outdoor sunrise worship service, singing old classic hymns, sharing Communion and reading Scripture as the sun slowly peeked over the pines. It was a holy time with family and fellow believers.
I was reflecting on Good Friday to Easter Sunday. I’ve been reading about the events of that weekend over 2000 years ago- the greatest weekend in the history of the universe. I was reading the four Bible accounts of those three days, and how each writer highlighted and focused on different aspects of the events from Jesus’ crucifixion to His resurrection. Taking all four together, one gets an incredible view of that weekend- that wild, crazy, amazing weekend. From the brutality of Jesus’ final torture and execution on the hill outside the city; His final words to those around Him (including the criminals He was executed with); His pronouncement, “It is finished”; the sky going dark; the earthquake that shook the region; the huge, thick Temple veil ripping in half from top to bottom; graves opening up and dead guys walking around the city declaring Jesus is Lord; a pagan Roman soldier at the foot of the cross, exclaiming, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”; the silent Saturday, followed by the most spectacular Sunday in history- a massive stone rolled aside, angels descending, Jesus stepping out alive again, and the eye witnesses who saw Him, touched Him, talked to Him, and worshipped Him, who began to tell the world about Him. An amazing weekend, indeed!
I often wonder what it would have been like to have witnessed it all first-hand. And yet, I have been touched by it all. Over 2000 years later, the events of that weekend have brought me forgiveness, hope for life beyond the grave, help for living in this life, and best of all, a personal relationship and fellowship with the One it was all about anyway. So Easter is the greatest event in the history of the universe, and certainly the greatest event in the history of my life.
“In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” John 1:4