Easter Tuesday

Prayer:  Alleluia Christ is Risen.    May we live this day in Your joy and Your praise knowing that You love us beyond all comprehension.  Alleluia!   Great God,  we thank You that You can forgive us of our sins and give us new life. We thank and praise You O Lord.   Alleluia!

Read  St Luke  24:  13 - 32

Christ is risen.  Christ is risen indeed.  Many years ago at Essa Road Presbyterian Church in Barrie ON,  a young student intern was asked to do the Children’s story on Easter Sunday.     The young student intern thought what would make the greatest impression on children so that they never forgot the story of Easter.   The young student intern decided that candy was the way to go.   So the young student intern purchased red marshmallow easter eggs.   On Easter Sunday, as the children gathered around for the Children’s Story  the young student intern  said that we remember that Jesus died for our sins and forgave us all our sins through his sacrifice.  Jesus died and was buried and the third day he arose.  Jesus was raised from the dead.   To remember the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ wasn’t just for us but for everyone,  we would each take three red marshmallow eggs out of the bag and find someone in the congregation to share the egg.   We would give them an egg and say, “Christ is Risen”.   Then the person in the congregation would respond,  “Christ is Risen indeed”.     With great delight,  the children went to the congregation and began sharing their eggs by saying  “Christ is Risen”.    As each red marshmallow egg exchanged hands,  the egg would start to melt.  By the end of the Children’s story,  every single person in the congregation on Easter Sunday had a red hand from the dye on the egg.    The young student intern was mortified about the red hands but one very wise Elder (Albert Blom)  said, “You know that is the best illustration of Easter I’ve ever seen.   While we hear that Jesus died for our sins and then was risen,  this is the first time in my life that I’ve been physically marked in Church at Easter.  All day Easter Sunday,  I will look down at my red hand and think—Jesus died for me.  Hallelujah”.  

The red marshmallow eggs made an impression on this Elder but how often do we celebrate Easter on Sunday and then that is it.  We put the celebration of Resurrection out of our minds until next year and the next Easter.

We are not alone in our forgetting.   Two of the disciples were walking to the village of Emmaus.   They were mulling over in their minds all that had happened.   In the midst of the talking,  Jesus appeared to them but they did not recognize them.   Jesus asked them what was going on and they replied told him the story of Jesus.   Jesus asked them why they could not simply believe.   And he began teaching them from the very beginning about the love of God.   They were amazed and didn’t want his teaching to end.  So they invited the Teacher  to have supper with them to continue teaching.   As soon as Jesus blessed the bread and broke the bread,  their eyes were opened and they recognized that the man was Jesus. 

This day, reflect on the joy of the risen Christ.     Take time to reflect on the life of Jesus.   Reflect upon the teachings of Jesus.  Ask yourself how these teachings of Jesus apply to your life.     If you can’t find any connection at all,  take a red marker pen and colour on the palm of your hand (or better yet find red marshmallow eggs!).    Each time you look at the red splotch on your palm  say, “Jesus died for me.  Hallelujah.  Christ is risen.  Christ is risen indeed”.

Prayer: Jesus,  you died for me.  Alleluia.  Jesus,  you died to give me eternal life.  Alleluia.  Jesus,  you died to make me brand new in You.   Alleluia!  This day,  I ask for  forgiveness to  those that I have hurt and caused pain.  This day,  O LORD,  I forgive those who have caused me hurt and pain.  I leave their lives and their pain with You knowing that You can heal them and make them whole.  Alleluia!