Easter wonder

On that Easter Day in Jerusalem we were up at 5:00 am in order to be at the Garden Tomb for the Sunrise Easter Worship Service.  It's one of the traditional sites with a tomb that matches the description of the one in which Jesus was laid by its age and its setting. The beautiful surrounding garden is the place of worship.  Hundreds of us gathered. When the minister began: The Lord is risen, the garden rocked with acclamation: The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia.  We sang songs: Jesus Christ is risen today, All heaven declares, Low in the grave he lay. Looking towards to empty tomb with the stone rolled away the congregation roared:
Up from the grave he arose, 
With a mighty triumph o'er his foes.
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And he lives for ever with His saints to reign,
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Of course this memory is special, but Calvary and the open tomb are not only places and events in history, but a spiritual reality for all times and places. Jesus is the at-one-ment of everyone and the Victor over death for everyone.  Once and for all, this is the glorious Easter truth won for us.

Worship today with my local church via Zoom could hardly be any different from the Garden Tomb as little pictures of our fellowship filled the screen, each of us greeting one another from our own homes.  Yet we shared a service full of the same vitality, conviction and wonder as we heard the Easter story and our pastor spoke about how the fears of today (and there are many) are met and transformed by the greatest reality that has changed the world: Christ arose! Hallelujah!

We can say for real:
We greet you Lord risen from the dead. You are alive for us. Love has powered through sin and death to open up eternal life for all who believe in you.  Your sacrifice is vindicated. Your promises hold true. Your love cannot be broken.  Whatever faces us, Lord, your rising from the dead has changed it for the better.  Hallelujah!