Easter Morn Run!

Easter morning has dawned.  It is a new day for you and me.  Hallelujah!

The sneers, beating, pain and finally death have come to Jesus.  He left heaven to come to earth for this one reason....to live, to teach and to die for us...and then LIVE.  The one God who came to meet me even before I had a thought to meet him or even find Him.  He came first.  He loved first.  I can not even begin to comprehend such love, such sacrifice, such grace.

After Jesus' horrible death, one man came to ask for Jesus' body.  One man cared for him, wrapped Him in linen cloth and placed Him in a tomb.  The women who traveled with Jesus followed this man to the tomb and saw the tomb and how His body was laid in it.  Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes for Jesus' proper burial.

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 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! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words.

When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. (Luke 24:1-12)

What strikes me today is: one man, a few women, and Peter running back to the tomb.  The passion of these few moves me.  On this Passion Sunday we celebrated Jesus' passion for us.  His passion to come get us.  His passion to come meet us.  His passion to come for us when we didn't even realize we needed Him.  These few believers showed passion as well.

The man who asked for His body - he was a member of the Council but had not consented to their decision and action.  He acted in passion and love for the son of God.  He took one step, one man and served His God.
The women were few in number but they too came in passion for their Jesus.  They followed him to the tomb, they took the next logical step by preparing the spices for Him.  They followed through with their service of passion and received a blessing of unexpected proportion.
Then Peter, the one who denied, upon hearing the news from the women RAN to the tomb. (Luke 24:12) He ran out of passion and hope.  He ran to see with his own eyes.  And as we learn from the rest of the Bible he continued to run with passion as the message of Jesus was carried from place to place.  Peter never stopped running...

If we believe the message of Easter and the news of Jesus Christ as Redeemer, do we run with the message.  As we celebrate this Easter 2014 are we preparing to run into next week, next month?  Do our hearts burn within us as He speaks this Easter message into our lives?  These few people we've looked at today made an enormous impact on the world by just taking the next step and serving where they could.

I wonder where my next step of passion will lead?  I wonder if I will remember on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday of next week the Passion of this Easter morn run.  Will you?

He is Risen Indeed.  Run...Run...Run