Today is a special day. It is a day that is remembered by one third of the human race – over 2 billion people are remembering and celebrating an event that happened approximately 2,000 years ago. (click here for the audio version.)

An event that changed the course of history.

Normally when we talk about such an event, we are talking about the beginning of wars or some political struggles that shaped a nation or a group of nations. Events like the Civil War, World War 1 and 2, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the people’s revolutions of North Africa that is re-shaping the Arabic world as we speak…

Yet, the event we are remembering today passed across the ticking of the clock with very few people noticing.

It happened not in the halls of power or the castles of Kings – it did not happen on the battlefield of men nor through the philosophies of genius…

The event that is remembered by one third of the human race today happened in a backwater land – tucked away from the eyes of the world. It happened in a cemetery – the least of all places.

The event was the emptying of a tomb.

The emptying of a tomb … a simple act made holy by the fact that it was emptied by the person who was originally put into the tomb three days before!!

Three days before….oh what a weekend that was! The rulers of that time condemned and executed a man who they thought was a nobody. Just some backwoods hillbilly who talked about God and hung out with the outcasts of society – oh and he must have been a magician because folks talked about being healed while hanging around him.

Other than that, he was just another guy in the midst of a whole bunch of other guys…shoot, there were even 13 other Jewish Messiahs around that time…so why would this one guy be any different?

Three days…..three long dark days….

Early in the morning of the third day, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb of the one she loved. She wanted to bathe the body and give him a proper burial – not some half-hearted funeral like he received three days before on the eve of the Sabbath.

So she walked up to the tomb – expecting to see a bunch of soldiers who were guarding the body – only the tomb was open and the guards were gone!!

Horrified she ran back to town – back to safety – back to her friends. Finding Peter she told him about the empty tomb. Jumping up in shock, he ran with John all the way to the cemetery – not quite sure if he believe Mary, but desperate to see his best friend and teacher – his Lord.

Alas, the tomb was empty!

There was no body in the rock cave – just some cloth folded and laid on the shelf where the body should have been. What had happened? Who had taken the body? Why had they taken it?

Questions floated through his – their – brain… questions without answers…

Unsure of what to do, they – Peter and John – wondered back down the path, head back home… leaving Mary, who had followed them, alone in the cemetery once more…

Crying with her head in her hands she sees two figures – wiping the tears from her eyes with her hands, she stares at these two figures where no one was a second ago. When did they come? Maybe they walked in while she was crying….

“Women,” they asked, “why are you crying?”

Trying hard to catch her breath, Mary replies, “Someone has taken my Lord away and I don’t know where they have put his body.” Maybe they know something – she thinks…maybe they can help…

Seeing that the eyes of the men are looking behind her, she turns and sees the cemetery gardener. Maybe he knows, she thinks as he asks her the same question, “Why are you crying?”

Tears coming down afresh she asks, “If you have carried away the body, please let me know as I want to clean it and anointed it with oil and spices.”

The next word is a word that shocked heaven and earth, “Mary.”

That’s it.

One word. One very personal word – her name spoken with the voice of one who knew her – the voice of one who had walked with her day by day.

“Mary.”

Jesus the Son of Man – God Himself who came down into this broken world to walk with us – who came to destroy sin and evil – the Creator of Heaven and Earth who laid down

His life on a cross – the one who had died for us – He was risen!!

Tears of sorrow exchanged for joy.

He who was dead was now alive!! All glory to God Almighty!! Praises to the King of Kings!

It is this event – this strange and wonderful event that we celebrate today along with our brothers and sisters across the globe. We all give testimony to the fact that Jesus is no longer dead but alive.

Critics will say that this is false – that Jesus’ is still buried. That Mary and the disciples went to the wrong tomb – or they will say that they just stole the body and made up the story.

Yet, if it was not true – if Jesus did not physical get up and walk out of that tomb – then why would the twelve die violent deaths? Why didn’t they just confess to the story – the lie? If five of the world’s most powerful men could not keep quiet about President Nixon’s abuses – how could 12 men who were killed for their faith keep quiet about this?

No. Jesus really died. And he really got up. The resurrection was real. Jesus is alive today. The tomb is empty.

Yet, 10,000 plus people journey to the site of Jesus’ tomb each Easter – 10 thousand people crowd the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem this weekend….more will come throughout the year…all to an empty tomb. However for so many Christians, this site is sacred for them. These thousands of religious visitors will all show their respects by praying and worshiping. However, the Church will be open to tourists too, but many of the visitors will be there to honor the place where Jesus’ body was believed to be prepared for burial at the Stone of Unction. Although, some Christians may never be able to visit this sacred site, due to issues flying for example. Thankfully, companies like The Salvation Garden offer the service of delivering your religious prayers to Churches like these on your behalf. For many Christians worldwide, this Church will be highly important to them.

This reminds me of the Ark of the Covenant.

This Ark was built by the Israelites during their journey in the desert. God Himself gave them the directions to build it – specific details about the wood, the inlay, everything… and on top of this ark…well let us read Exodus 25:17-22:

“Make an atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law that I will give you. There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.”

Above the cover – in between the two cherubim over top of the ark of the covenant – in that empty place, that is where God would meet Moses.

In the empty place.

Not through a statue. Nor through any work of the hand – but in an empty place inside a tent in the desert between two cherubim.

Like the empty tomb with two angels pointing to the risen Lord…..

The ark – the tomb – both pointing towards an empty place….

We chase after – we seek something physical – something or someplace where we can meet God… we go to conferences – we go to tombs….we seek….

Yet where does God show up?

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. (John 20:19-20)

Jesus shows up in community – in the midst of His people! The Ark was in the middle of the Israelites’ camp – a symbol – a reminder that God was with them. That God was journeying WITH them.

Jesus came to the disciples – He showed up in their midst – yes, he showed himself to Mary at the tomb – but what did He say,

“Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (John 20:17)

“Do not hold on to me.”

He met Mary where she was – in the middle of her tears – and told her to go back to His people. That He would be their God and they would be His people.

Friday was an interesting day for me…it was bookended by two meetings – two conversations with two friends that I had not seen for years.

That morning I met with a gentleman who had journeyed a long road – he had left Boise for greener pastures only to find God telling him to come back. He is now planting a church in Boise – a church that doesn’t look like a church. Instead of meeting in a sanctuary, they meet in a fellowship hall where they eat together, laugh together, read the Bible together, and pray together.

It wasn’t that they planed it that way…they actually rented a church sanctuary…but when they moved in there from a living room, everyone stopped coming. The church tanked…so they moved downstairs and started a community…

And to this community people are coming…outcasts and those hurt by religion. People who would never hear about God in a traditional church…they are meeting Jesus in the middle of His people.

The other meeting – many hours later in the evening – was with another friend whom I had not seen for years. This person was tired… lonely….

They had spent the past few years trying to keep their marriage together…only for it to fall apart….add to that the recent move of their two best friends…. Things did not make sense…why was this happening? Why Lord why?

Tons of questions and emotions…some folks told them that all they needed was God – He would be their best friend….Yet, it is hard when God doesn’t have flesh. When you can’t see or touch Him…

The empty tomb….the risen Lord who appeared in the midst of His followers.

The empty ark….the God of Israel who dwelt in the middle of the camp.

We find God – we find Jesus in the middle of community – in the midst of walking out this life – fighting this war we call life – we meet Jesus together.

Though we come to the garden alone to meet with him – though our ears are warmed by the sweet soft voice of our Lord….

He bids us go with a voice of woe – go and tell all whom we meet that Christ has risen!

The tomb is empty! Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice for we serve a living King – the King of King to whom every knee will bow!!

You may have recognized some of my last few lines as I was quoting parts of the hymn “In the Garden.” While many of us know this song –and love it – I don’t think the story behind it is well known – I know I didn’t know about it until Emily told me.

The hymn was written by C. Austin Miles in 1912 about the meeting of Mary and Jesus – the same story we just talked about and the same story that the children will soon act out for us today.

Seeing how this hymn is connected to us today – we will be singing it after the skit – I would like to read Austin Miles’ account of why he wrote what he did:

“One day in March, 1912, I was seated in the dark room, where I kept my photographic equipment and organ. I drew my Bible toward me; it opened at my favorite chapter, John 20-whether by chance or inspiration let each reader decide. That meeting of Jesus and Mary had lost none of its power to charm.

“As I read it that day, I seemed to be part of the scene. I became a silent witness to that dramatic moment in Mary’s life, when she knelt before her Lord, and cried, ‘Rabboni!’

“My hands were resting on the Bible while I stared at the light blue wall. As the light faded, I seemed to be standing at the entrance of a garden, looking down a gently winding path, shaded by olive branches. A woman in white, with head bowed, hand clasping her throat, as if to choke back her sobs, walked slowly into the shadows. It was Mary. As she came to the tomb, upon which she place her hand, she bent over to look in, and hurried away.

“John, in flowing robe, appeared, looking at the tomb; then came Peter, who entered the tomb, followed slowly by John. As they departed, Mary reappeared; leaning her head upon her arm at the tomb, she wept. Turning herself, she saw Jesus standing, so did I. I knew it was He. She knelt before Him, with arms outstretched and looking into His face cried ‘Rabboni!’

“I awakened in full light, gripping the Bible, with muscles tense and nerves vibrating. Under the inspiration of this vision I wrote as quickly as the words could be formed the poem exactly as it has since appeared. That same evening I wrote the music.”

“In The Garden” Lyrics

Verse 1. I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses;
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,
The Son of God discloses.

Verse 2. He speaks, and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing;
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.

Verse 3. I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling;
But He bids me go through the voice of woe,
His voice to me is calling.

Chorus:
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known.