Easter and the Hearse
“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter and to the twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and the sisters at the same time most of whom are still living although some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James and then to all the apostles and last of all he appeared to me also.”
1 Corinthians 15: 3-8
The Apostle Paul offers here one of the classic texts regarding Easter and how Jesus’ resurrection demonstrated that He was bigger than death.
Easter and the Hearse
It reminds me of a great story I heard some time back about a pastor in Minnesota who enjoyed a working relationship with the local funeral home director.
One of his jobs was to travel to small rural communities where they didn’t have churches and perform the funeral service. He would go out to these churches with the undertaker, riding with him in the hearse.
One day after partnering together in a town some distance away, the pastor got sleepy, so he crawled into the now-empty back of the hearse to take a nap.
Kind of creepy if you ask me, but, as the story goes, that’s just what he did.
Sometime later, the undertaker pulled the hearse into a service station to get gas. It was one of those rare full-service stations, so while the attendant was filling up the tank, the funeral director went inside to get some snacks.
The attendant peaked in the window and kind of freaked out to see a body stretched out in the back. As the guy stood there filling the gas tank, the pastor woke up. He opened his eyes and started tapping on the window!
Can you imagine that gas attendant’s reaction?
The pastor said later said that said he never saw anybody run so fast in his whole life!
Why? Because when people see life where they were expecting death, they start running!
On Easter, Jesus woke up, opened his eyes, came out of the tomb, and told Peter, “I am alive.”
He appeared to his disciples and told them, “I’m alive.”
He saw hundreds of his followers and told them, “I’m alive.”
Those people started running and telling the news. They told others who told others. And down through over 2000 years, people haven’t stopped running and telling.
Everything’s Changed
Easter changed everything! Why? Because in this world, when you’re dead, you’re dead. But now, in light of Christ’s resurrection, all of that is changed. Jesus is even bigger than death.
Easter changed everything! Why? Because in this world, when you’re dead, you’re dead. But now, in light of Christ’s resurrection, all of that is changed. Jesus is even bigger than death.
That being the case, death isn’t the end. In fact, it’s just the beginning. Jesus, in His resurrection, is the prototype we’re all going to follow. Because not only was Jesus bigger than death, all those who have placed their faith in Him will find that to be true for them as well.
One day, as sure as you’re sitting here, you’re going to open your eyes and knock on the window of the hearse. You’re going to get out and live on in a glorious reality that is quite literally out of this world. And that new reality will last forever.
One day you’re going to open your eyes and knock on the window of the hearse. You’re going to get out and live on in a glorious reality that is quite literally out of this world...a new reality will last forever.
Prayer:
Lord, I celebrate the fact of the empty tomb! The words of the angels standing nearby thrill my heart: “He is not here. He is risen!” How grateful I am that my faith is grounded in this historical fact. And how thankful I am that the One who proved Himself to be bigger than death allowed that to be true for me as well.
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