Today’s Reading: John 20:1 (NIV)
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
Good morning!
The days can be long when you are waiting for signs of new life. If you’ve ever been pregnant, you may have a greater understanding of what it means to wait. In the birthing process, we get a glimpse of new life as we wait with anticipation for the baby’s birth. Ultrasound technology has changed how we wait to experience signs of new life. Now, many parents choose to learn the gender of their unborn child long its birth. Digital photographs of baby’s tiny frame reveal the most intricate observations. Not only can one count the fingers and toes of the unborn, but they can see the shape of its nose, tiny eyes forming, and its precious heart beating inside the womb. I saw my granddaughter Madison sucking her thumb in the womb at 20 weeks gestation. It was the most wondrous thing!
I’m looking for signs of life where I work, as I wait for word. Are we going to move forward? Will there be a resurrection in this dismal economy? How many people will lose their jobs before we begin to see signs of new life in the marketplace? We wait patiently for signs of new life in our children, as they continue to grow and mature. We pray that new life will take hold of old bodies. We look forward to the hope of yet another springtime thaw, when new life pushes out of the cold, frozen ground. It can be a long wait when we’re looking for a miracle, looking for signs of new life around us.
Mary Magdalene had waited long enough. She, along with all the other disciples, observed the Passover celebration together. For three long days, she waited in tears and silence, longing to get back to the One she loves. Mary wanted to see her Lord just one more time, to kneel at His feet; to tell Him once again how much she loves Him. She got up while it was still dark outside. The others were sleeping, and the household was quiet. So as not to wake anyone, Mary tiptoed out the front door, then ran to the garden tomb, unafraid of the darkness surrounding her. When we are desperate to see signs of new life, sometimes the darkness is not as scary as having to wait patiently for the dawn to come.
Mary was stunned when she saw that the 2,000 pound stone had been removed from the entrance to the tomb. This was not what she had expected to find. Was this the sign of new life she had hoped for? Where was Jesus?
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO
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