Hope everyone had a blessed Easter. Ours was quite unorthodox and I missed all the hard-boiled egg hoopla along with the big dinner. Paul did see a live rabbit in our yard and declared it the Easter bunny. It's the first time in 15 years I haven't cooked all day and had a big ham, garlic cheese grits, asparagus, deviled eggs, angel biscuits, and a three layer cake with edible Easter grass and chocolate eggs on top! We did get up early for the sunrise service but it was "rainrise" instead and not at the beach as planned but at the church. The kitchen staff made a wonderful breakfast for all early risers and that was sure good. Sadly, the boys declared egg-dying and Easter baskets "too baby" so we lacked that excitement. Our dog usually eats all the eggs we hide anyway.
I'm almost ashamed to say it, but after church we went to town and our Easter dinner consisted of a burger and fries and then we shopped for a digital camera. I'm feeling the crunch this week as we are very busy. Early Friday I leave for Oregon for a women's retreat with, of all people, the Galloping Gourmet and author Bette Norberg!
But back to Easter. I took time and read all four gospel accounts starting with the tomb. It was like reading it for the first time. John is my favorite. Start at John 20:11 and you'll see what I mean. I find it very moving that Mary Magdalene was the first at the tomb. She had quite a past, remember. She was standing outside the tomb weeping and then she stooped and looked inside. Two angels were there but HE was not. Jesus stood behind her and he said, "Mary!"
My commentary says, "Perhaps the reason why Jesus first appeared to Mary was to demonstrate grace by His personal, loving faithfulness to someone who formerly had a sordid past: but clearly also because she loved him so dearly and deeply, that she appeared before anyone else at the tomb." (MacArthur Study Bible).
I love the fact that He called her by name. Notice the exclamation point! This was no casual greeting. I wonder if I would have been at the tomb that first Easter morning. My prayer is to have a heart like Mary so that I can, above all else, love him as dearly and deeply. I want to hear Him call me by name.