Then Came Sunday Morning

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Sitting in silence.

Wrapped in grief.

Haunted by fear.

Hearts echoed with the emptiness left when Jesus’ body was laid in the tomb.

Hope had disappeared.

Then came Sunday morning.

The sun peeked over the hills. Women trudged with feet as heavy as their hearts to the tomb. In their hands were fragrant spices to properly prepare their Master and friend for burial. 

But who would roll away the stone? Who would let them in?

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Suddenly hope was rekindled! The stone was rolled away!

"He is not here!” the angel said. “He is risen!” 

The tomb was empty, but their hearts were full.

Fear gave way to courage!

Grief gave way to joy!

Silence was swallowed up in victory!

Sin, where are your shackles?
Death, where is your sting?
Hell has been defeated.
The grave could not hold the king.*

Then came Sunday morning—and absolutely nothing would ever be the same again.

*Lyrics from “Arise, My Love” by Newsong.

The Stone Was Rolled Away!

On this glorious Easter Day

Alleluia!

The stone was rolled away

Alleluia!

With this simple craft, this children remember
the marvelous fact that Jesus's tomb is empty.
The stone was rolled away and He is risen!

I spend a good deal of time at my church with the children's ministry. We sang the three-verse song that begins with the words above this morning in our Easter celebration service. Those simple words say so much.

Jesus had died a cruel, horrible death. He was buried. His disciples saw their hopes and dreams crushed as the One they followed breathed His last.

Jesus was taken down from the cross. He was buried in a tomb belong to a secret believer. His friends thought they would see Him no more.

An enormous stone was rolled in front of the tomb's opening. As it settled into place in front of the opening, perhaps the final thud felt like a punch in stomach of the women who stood nearby.

The religious leaders tried their best to ensure that the tomb would remain undisturbed. They sealed the tomb. They posted a guard. They wanted to be certain that Jesus's body stayed right where it was - dead and buried - so His followers would disburse. They wanted Jesus's message of love and salvation to die out, even as He had died.

BUT...

On that glorious Easter morning the stone was rolled away! 

     Why?

          Why is it significant that the stone was rolled away?

     Did Jesus need the stone to be rolled away so He could get out of the tomb? 
          Certainly not!

     The stone was rolled away not to let Jesus out, but to let His followers in. 

          The stone was rolled away so all would know that the tomb was empty. 
          The stone was rolled away so we could have hope.
"He is not here!" the angel said. "He is risen!"

Alleluia!

**************************

The lyrics above, sung to the tune of "Michael Row the Boat Ashore", are found in a children's Easter pageant called “He Is Risen” presented byTeachSundaySchool.com. You can find the full text here. 

I Just Published a New eBook

"What will we do for Easter?"

At this time of the year, many churches are making plans for special services For Good Friday and Easter. Large churches are probably already in the process of organizing a major event. There may be some churches, youth groups, or church-based dance ministries that are still asking themselves that question. "What will we do for Easter?"

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If you belong to a group that is asking that very question, my new ebook, Winning Back My Beloved, may be just what you are looking for.


What is this story about? Here it is in a nutshell.

This is a love story. You have a King. You have his Beloved. You have an Enemy. The Enemy entices the Beloved away from the King. The King will do anything, even sacrifice himself, to win her back.

The dance/drama described in this ebook does not require a large budget. It does not require a large cast. It is performed by three dancers. The music can be in whatever genre best fits your group. It can be original or compiled from selections of already-recorded music. This ebook lists the music I am currently using as an example.

Easter Dance Drama in the Making

A special project is in the works at the children's home where I minister in Bali. I am working with some of the teens to prepare a dance/drama that is suitable for use in churches at any time, but especially around Easter.

The King and His Beloved

 This particular dance/drama was first performed about eight years ago by teens who are now grown and on their own. A couple musicians came up with original music to fit the action of the scenes. Parts of it brought tears to the eyes of some of the viewers. Based on that, I believe this had the impact we hoped for.