It's not over...

Mary missed her Lord, she wanted nothing more than for Him to still be there.  Mary Magdalene, and another friend went with her early that morning to anoint Jesus.  They had no idea how they were going to get into the tomb, but it was irrelevant. The stone was gone.  All the emotions of just a few days ago were rolling up inside them again.  Panic was running through their veins and fear was written on their faces.  As they rush in to confirm their fears they see some guy sitting there.  Wondering who this guy was and what he was doing there, they were scared.  The guy told them to not be afraid, that Jesus of Nazareth, the very person they were looking for was not there.  I think Mary M probably gave him a "duh" right there.  He wasn't finished though, he told them He was risen and to tell the disciples and Peter what they had seen.  That was some amazing grace at it's finest.  Peter who had denied Christ just days ago was dealing with some heavy stuff.  He thought he could never be forgiven.  Could you imagine having denied Christ only to hear that He wanted you to know personally that He was alive and everything was better than ok?  The ladies rush away from the tomb, scared out of their minds and they told no one.

Jesus showed up to Mary M's house one morning and performed yet another miracle.  She rushed to the disciples and told them but they did not believe her.  Then Jesus appeared to two of the disciples and they told the others with excitement, but again they didn't believe.  I think Jesus chuckled as He showed up in front of all of them.  "Really?  I showed up to 3 of you.  I even told you I would rise from the dead before I died and you still didn't believe."  That's Nateaphrased...

Fear turned to hope, anxiety turned to passion as He spoke.  He told them to go into every nation and every nook and cranny of those nations proclaiming this hope.  So they did go to many nations preaching Jesus through love.  Jesus had sent the Holy Spirit to guide them and us as we proclaim that

He is ALIVE!!!!!

It is finished...

It happened, just how He said it would. He was arrested, tried and falsely convicted. They saw Him beaten, forced to carry a cross and nailed to the cross. They saw Him raised up, mocked and forsaken by God. He took the sin of the world on Himself and died. Jesus is dead. They carried Him to a borrowed tomb and watched as the Romans rolled a stone to seal them out, posting guards by the door. There's confusion and chaos everywhere. It seems that no one knows what to do. So they go back to the last place, the last place they met and they pray. They pray for wisdom, for peace, for understanding but mostly they pray for their Rabbi whom they had followed giving up everything. They followed Him homeless, hungry and in doubt, but He always had a plan and their needs were always met. Already they miss His teaching and His way of pulling things together. Judas is hanging from a tree, Peter is in disbelief that he actually denied His Lord and thinks He's doomed. The only thing "good" about today was that the prophecies had been fulfilled. There was no doubt in the mind of these 11 radicals that Jesus was the Messiah. They had witnessed history be changed forever. History was no longer customs and traditions, it was now His story and they were going to change the world.
It's not over...