An Encounter with the Risen Lord

As I reflected on Christ's Resurrection today, I was reading the accounts in Mark 16 and John 20 about the Resurrection. I am particularly enthralled with the encounter Jesus had with Mary Magdalene, as it is recorded that she is the first person He appeared to. I began to wonder what it must have been like for Mary Magdalene and what emotions she had as she found the tomb empty, wondered where her Lord had been taken, and then encountered the risen Savior herself. This is a poem I wrote about it. Hope you enjoy.

 "An Encounter with the Risen Lord "

 Solemnly, we made our way

To the tomb that day.

The One whom we called Lord

Lay dead in a grave. 

Spices were brought to anoint His body.

We expected to see a dead man,

But we received so much more. 

As we made our way closer,

We saw the stone from the tomb rolled away.

As we entered, we discovered that no body was in the tomb.

I began to fret and panic,

Thinking someone had stole Him away in the night

And I wondered where the guards had gone.

A man robed in white, shining forth like the sun,

Sat at the side in the tomb.

He declared to us:

"Don't be afraid! You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene who was crucified. 

He is not here, but He is risen as He said!"

Trembling, full of amazement and fear, we fled.

The angel told us to tell everyone, 

But who were we to say anything?

We were only women and my reputation

Wouldn't do much for the words I spoke.

How could we even know this was true? 

Full of fear, wonder, and doubt,

We didn't know what to do. 

As we ran, we dropped our baskets,

Our task left undone.

We came expecting to find His body,

But there was none.

I feel to the ground, weeping openly.

Where was my Lord who delivered me from demons?

How could he just be gone?

And through my tears, I heard a voice calling out to me.

I thought it was the gardener 

And I pleaded for him to tell me

where the body was, if he had removed it.

Then I heard Him say my name.

I turned and saw His face-

it was Jesus, it was my Lord!

He was alive and well!

I called out to Him and He told me to tell the other about Him

And how He would ascend to His Father in heaven.

I left running, this time not from fear,but excitement.

Declaring "I have seen the Lord!"

I came expecting to find a dead man,

But I encountered the risen Lord. 

Taking Back Easter?

Easter. This world associates it with an Easter Bunny and lots of candy-filled plastic eggs. Even I grew up receiving Easter baskets filled with goodies and went on egg hunts. Now I am not saying that people who partake in this are sinning, but I am realizing more and more how the commercialism of Easter sickens me. It sickens me that there is so much attention placed on a fictional bunny rather than the Savior who I believe is what Easter is all about. Yes I know Easter came from pagan backgrounds and was only modified to fit Christian beliefs. I hear so many people talk about how we need to take back Easter in the churches, because it has become so commercialized. Why? When you truly know how Easter was first started, why would you think we need to take back a pagan holiday? How about forgetting the pagan holiday and declaring that you do not celebrate "Easter"?  I know today that I do not celebrate Easter. I celebrate Resurrection Day. I celebrate the fact that my Savior rose again, conquered death, and is sitting at the right hand of God. And He is coming back for His children. So if I celebrate Resurrection Day, why should I be so disappointed with the world for celebrating Easter? They are only celebrating what they know and what they have been taught. However, Christians who seem to put more emphasis on the Easter bunny rather than the Savior disappoint me. I am even slightly offended by the chocolate crosses they sell similar to the chocolate Easter bunnies. Has the cross become that glorified? The cross is a method of destruction, not for glorification. I should never forget how ugly the cross and the events surrounding it were, because my Savior Jesus Christ paid a huge price for my sin debt against God. He was scourged, beaten, bruised, pierced, mocked at, spit at, and more...all for me. All so I could have the chance to be right with God. The cross is not something beautiful to be admired, it's something repulsive to be remembered. And that repulsive cross was meant for me. Jesus died in my place on that repulsive cross because of His great love for me. And He didn't stay in the grave, but rose again on the third day. 

"Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!"- 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 Death was defeated and the victory was won by Jesus rising from the grave on the third day, just as He said He would. It is because of this victory that we can walk in newness of life and have the victory through Christ in our own Christian walk. Christians serve a risen Savior. His death was necessary for us to be in communion with God, but He did not stay dead. I choose to celebrate Resurrection Day and bypass the worldly attributes of Easter. And when I have my own family one day I want to teach my children about the importance of Christ's death and Resurrection and not dwell on some Easter bunny and plastic eggs. This is my personal conviction and I pray I can follow the Lord as He leads me in this. I hope everyone has a blessed Resurrection Day and remembers why we celebrate this time.