Matthew 28:5-10
The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are
looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just
as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and
tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into
Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet
filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met
them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and
worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and
tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
I cannot visit the mountains without hiking to a waterfall.
My daughter Maggie and her teenagers let me tag along on a
trip to Greenville, SC to visit my youngest daughter, Hannah. Hannah and
Stephen are blessed to live in the beautiful Appalachian Mountain region of our
country where a trip to the mountains is just a car drive away.
On one of our exploration adventures we hiked in the Dupont
State Forest, southeast of Brevard, NC, to Triple Falls waterfall. I enjoyed
the spring foliage and the new life popping in the forest, but at the end of
the trail, the true gem awaited.
The falls roared over the rock face of the cliff, and I
stood and let the water spray my face. As I reflected on the power of the falls,
I considered how powerful God is and how humble and loving Jesus is. With
Easter Sunday and the celebration of Jesus defeating death, the truth of Jesus’
life struck me. He lived in obedience to his Father. In living, he knew his
death would come and that he’d carry the burden of sin for every person. He
knew, yet he obeyed. Even as Jesus died, God knew the outcome. God’s power defeated
death and he breathed life into his son and sent his angels to roll away the
stone.
Jesus died and rose again from an ugly death. Through God’s
power, he lives and loves and wants every soul to follow him and meet him in
heaven.
I pray you have a blessed Easter and consider Jesus invitation
to be your Savior.