Have You Only Looked, Or Have You Actually Seen?
Each holiday has a message, and Easter is no exception. To celebrate this holiday, the secular world has given us the Easter Bunny and all the things that go along with him. You know that there is something wrong with this picture — what’s an egg got to do with a rabbit? The answer of course is nothing!
While there is nothing wrong with children hunting colored eggs, please don’t let them think that’s what Easter is about. If you haven’t already done so, set your family down and tell them the story of Easter.
What is the message of Easter? The answer to that question is found in our text: “And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you” (Matt. 28:5-7). There are four words in this text which I feel sum up the message of Easter. The four words are imperatives. They are commands, not suggestions — come, see, go and tell.
The one I want to draw your attention to today is “see.” I’d like to differentiate between the words “look” and “see.” When I look at something, I may not grasp what I’m looking at. I may not comprehend or understand. “Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?” (Mark 8:18).
But when I truly “see” something, I grasp, comprehend or understand it. I believe that is what the angel wanted the women to “see” or grasp, understand and comprehend — that the tomb was empty, and that Christ had risen from the dead.
“And he turned him unto (his) disciples, and said privately, Blessed (are) the eyes which see the things that ye see” (Luke 10:23). I believe God wants us to “see” that Christ is risen from the dead and is alive forever.
How can we go about this? “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:9-10). Perhaps it needs repeating: take a closer look at the empty tomb and see it is empty.
From Our Missionaries
Connection Point, Brookland: Chad White writes, “What an incredible week we enjoyed here at Connection Point. On Wednesday, our ladies had an Easter potluck with lots of food and fun. They exchanged ‘empty’ gifts and talked about the empty tomb.
“Saturday, we held our annual Community-wide Egg Hunt. This year we held the entire event outside. God blessed us with an amazing turnout. We had hundreds
and hundreds of people. We even had vans and buses full of people show up. We sang a couple of fun songs, then we shared with them the real story of Easter and talked to everyone about Jesus. After that, we set them loose, and they picked up around 6,000 eggs in about 3 minutes. It was a great day, and we met hundreds of families.
“Sunday was Resurrection Sunday, and we enjoyed an amazing day of worship. We had more than 100 in worship, which was by far our biggest crowd since COVID. We had great offerings and people at the altar praying. It was a beautiful and amazing day! Thank you, Lord. We pray that your church enjoyed a great Resurrection Sunday, as well.”
The Mustard Seed, Cain: Jim Tollison writes, “We had a great Easter service this week. Our attendance was up again. We are blessed with some faithful folks that can be counted on.
“Sunday after services, we had an Easter egg hunt for the kids followed by a cookout. Some of our members said that this was one of the best days they had had in a long time. Christian fellowship is an awesome experience.
“We baptized one young man Sunday, using our portable hot tub. The weather was very cooperative, and everyone was blessed by being there for this young man. It is always exciting to see a teenager making commitments to the Lord. Pray for this young man to make an impact on his world.
“We would not be here if not for your prayers and financial support. You have a hand in changing people’s lives here in Crawford County. Thanks, and God bless the BMA.”
Misión Creciendo en Cristo (Growing in Christ), North Little Rock: Juan Carlos Posadas writes, “It is sad to observe how the fervor for the commemoration of the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ has been lost. The emphasis of this occasion has remained as a family activity to hunt for eggs full of sweets. Except for the mentions in our church and special meetings, I believe our congregation would not have been exposed to the sacrifice and victory of Christ on the cross.
“This is not something unique to the United States, it is happening all over the world. In Honduras, my country-of-origin, the emphasis is on enjoying a long weekend starting on Thursday, and many take the opportunity to go to the beach or visit family in their cities of origin.
“What joy and satisfaction it gives me that our congregation had the opportunity this week to review in greater detail the events commemorated. On Friday, we had a study on the crucifixion of Jesus. Saturday we saw the movie Life and Ministry of the Lord Jesus, and on Sunday, we studied the resurrection of our Savior. We hope, with God’s help, to continue to impact the lives of our congregation members. Please pray with us for that.”
Life Journey, Fort Smith: Darrin Smith writes, We ‘took it to the streets’ this Easter weekend. We met for worship on Good Friday at noon, and after the service, we went out and had a prayer walk through our neighborhoods. We put flyers on over 250 homes. The flyer reminded people how ‘Easter Changed Everything’ and then invited them to come to our service on Sunday.
“On Saturday, we had a churchwide yard sale and our parking lot was full. We gave tours of our building, handed out invitations and prayed with people who wanted us to. Saturday evening, we went out to three different apartment complexes handing out invitations and sharing Christ. We had one to trust Christ as Savior!
“Sunday morning, we had a wonderful worship service and had a few first-time visitors. All-in-all, we handed out 400 invitations, made a lot of contacts and are looking forward to following up with them.”
Grace, Green Forest: Carter Pearce writes, “Easter Sunday is my favorite Sunday of the year. There is always much anticipation throughout the week preceding Easter Sunday regarding sermon preparation, wondering how many people will attend, how many new people we will get to meet at church, and how to ensure that I, as a pastor, am properly prepared for the Lord’s work on this wonderful Sunday. In mission work, the excitement around having new people is among the greatest anxiety in the lead-up to Easter Sunday.
“While we had a great service at Grace Baptist Mission celebrating our resurrected Lord, we did not have any new faces worshipping with us. After our service, our congregation had lunch together at my home, and we had an Easter egg hunt with the children. We spent the entire afternoon together in friendship and fellowship. Everyone who attended worship together came over for lunch! We have great comradery together and enjoy being friends as well as family in Christ.
“I am extremely grateful for the friendships we share at Grace, and pray that God will bless us with more people to share our friendships. Please pray with us as we strive to be what God wants us to be for and with the people of Carroll County.”
Ebenezer, West Little Rock: Ruben Isturiz writes, “We had a wonderful time at our service Sunday. We were there from 6 a.m. until 7:30 a.m. We remembered the seven words of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary and their meaning. I thank God for the meaning of Christ’s resurrection. He was not left in a grave; Christ lives! We also participated in the Lord’s Supper. After our resurrection service, we had breakfast. It was a good time to share food and have fellowship. I love the enthusiasm at Ebenezer, and their willingness to serve.
“We also had a good time in the Berean Groups (cells). On Monday, I led Chenal’s group, we had a birthday celebration and we started with new material.
“Thanks for your prayers. This week Rubencito (Little Ruben) has his annual appointment with his neurologist, and I am making an appointment to have a root canal.
“To God be the glory!”
Faith Chapel, Flippin: Johnny Shew writes, “We had a wonderful week at Faith Chapel. Easter is such a wonderful time!
“This week, my message was from I Peter 1:3-9, because it reminds us that because of God’s abundant mercy, what Jesus did on the cross and His resurrection from the grave that we, who are born again, can look forward with a living hope, a confident expectation and assurance, to our inheritance in Heaven.
“And no matter what we are going through in this life — even our pain and sickness and distress — we can rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory because we will soon realize our eternal life with Him and will hear Him say; ‘well done’ if we are but faithful to Him and His calling on our lives. Praise God, He is risen!
“Thank you for your prayers — they strengthen us.”
Not Alone, Springdale: Clinton Morris writes, “Another emotionally impacting week as I drove to Wisconsin to celebrate the passing of my grandma Jane Mitchell into glory. She was one of my spiritual pillars — always encouraging, praying and ministering. I am going to miss her so much; my loss is Heavens gain.
“Easter was quiet because my daughter, Cat threw up all Saturday night. The family and I are mentally refocusing for the weeks to come.”