It is Easter Sunday morning 2020 as I post this on my blog. A lot of folks think the greatest moment in human history was when Neil Armstrong stepped out of the lunar lander onto the surface of the moon. That was a momentous occasion for sure (which I had the pleasure of watching live on TV), but it does not even begin to compare with the moment Jesus stepped out of that tomb in Jerusalem over two thousand years ago. Neil Armstrong demonstrated what mankind is capable of achieving. Jesus’ resurrection leads each and every one of His followers through death into eternal life; something mankind is not capable of achieving without Him.
Fifty-six years ago, I had the privilege of visiting the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem with two of my Christian Air Force buddies. It was near sunset when we arrived and we were the only ones around. I will never forget looking into that empty tomb, then kneeling at the entrance in prayer while the full realization that “He is no longer here. He has risen” flooded over me.
I had accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior ten years earlier and the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead was dwelling in me (Romans 8:11), but I have never felt as close to Jesus as I did that evening.
I miss the outdoor Easter sunrise services of my youth. We would get up while it was still dark and go to worship our risen Lord; have a big Easter brunch; then, as often as not, I would wind up dozing on the couch. This year, because of COVID-19, I will even miss going to the Easter service at church as well as an Easter brunch at a restaurant. Instead, I will attend two or three Easter services online; enjoy a ham sandwich; and more likely than not, wind up dozing in my Lazy Boy. The one thing I know for sure, my memory will return me to that evening in Jerusalem as it does every Easter.
I wish each of you reading this a blessed Resurrection Sunday.