Life Versus Death

You know all those people who claim that Spring is their favorite season of the year?  They walk around espousing the wonders of the climate change, the foliage coming to life after months of hibernation, and the joy of greenery and fresh air after being cooped up inside all winter.  I suppose this might be true if you don't live in Tennessee.  First of all, our state is the pollen capital of the world, and lucky allergy sufferers like me run the risk of anaphylactic shock from walking outside to get our mail.  It's hard to enjoy a nice walk in the park without your Epi pen getting in the way.  Also, spring is the time of year that the barrage of nasty weather begins.  For example, we have weathered 4 storms already this year that produced tornados, hail, and widespread wind damage.  I do not do particularly well with these storms.  Ask my husband, who is usually the one who takes my phone call as I frantically dial over and over, curled up in blankets and surrounded by pillows on the couch, flashlight in hand and Jack Russells at my side, screaming that Paul Barys said its the big one and we're all going to die so please get home soon.  In other words, I find little to be redeeming about Spring.
It does, however, contain my favorite holiday.  Easter has always been as much fun for me as Christmas.  I love watching kids do Easter egg hunts, helping make a special meal, and spending time with friends and family.  Plus, lets not forget the church fashion show on Easter Sunday as all the ladies try to outdo each other in their new dresses.  But on a serious note, I find the Easter holiday to be the most hopeful day of the year.  It is the day that reminds me that we are children of a Living God.
I have kept coming back to a particular passage in Luke as I've been doing my devotionals this week.  All of the Gospels have a slightly different version of the discovery of the empty tomb, and I find Luke's wording the coolest of all.  Chapter 24 opens with the women who were present at the crucifixion going to visit Jesus' tomb on the third day.  " They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.  In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; He has risen!"  (Luke 24: 2-6)
That question is crazy-good.  These women were followers of Christ.  They went everywhere with Him, saw Him heal the deaf and blind and cast out demons.  They listened to His sermons, they pondered the meaning of His parables.  They ate with Him, prayed with Him, and were taught by Him.  They had heard Him say that He must be crucified, and that on the third day He would rise again.  And yet they went to the tomb early that Sunday morning fully expecting to find a body. 
How could their faith be so small?  In some of the other gospels, when Jesus appeared, Mary didn't even recognize Him until He spoke her name.  The Son of God stood before her, and she still missed it.  I must admit, I am no better than Mary.  I probably wouldn't have made it as far as the tomb. 
We are just like the disciples (at least, I know I am!).  We look for life--purpose, meaning, fulfillment, happiness--among a world of death, sin, destruction, and evil.  We fully expect to find what God tells us isn't there.  We search for the vibrancy and lifeblood that Christ promises through a relationship with Him as if its buried treasure and someone threw away the map.  All of it is spelled out for us, through the Word of God, the Word made flesh--Jesus Himself.
I find so many aspects of Jesus to be mind-blowing.  Among them is the fact that He prayed for me while in the Garden the night He was taken into custody.  In John 17, Jesus turns His attention from His disciples to His future followers:  "My prayer is not for them alone.  I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message...I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one."  (John 17: 20-22).  While Jesus was literally sweating droplets of blood, He took the time to consider me.  He knew that I would not have the ability to look inside an empty tomb and see physical proof of His promises fulfilled.  He knew I would have to take His word for it.  He knew that the only way I would ever find life is to shirk the death this world tries to offer me, and to choose Him instead.
Thank you, Jesus, for dying for us.  Thank you for dissecting the fear out of death, and conquering the grave.  Thank you, most of all, that we don't have to search anymore.  You are life, and life abundantly.