Easter's Contrasts

I was listening to Chuck Swindoll on the radio yesterday. He told about how his church has a Good Friday service each year. They come into a darkened sanctuary - the theme being the dark tomb of Jesus. They meditate on how significant Jesus' death was and how final it must have seemed to those who mourned. Then the lights come on and the rejoicing starts as they celebrate the power of the resurrection - the light.

I thought that was a great idea. We don't always think about the contrast of those days - darkness and light, death and life, sorrow and great joy. How confused his followers must have been. How happy they must have been to have Him appear to them again when they thought all was lost. The contrast of their emotions would be enough to rock their world.

What about you? Do you experience the Easter holiday with intensity? Are your thoughts of Jesus in the dark cold tomb? Do you recognize the power it took to raise Jesus from the dead?

What a blessing that we have reason to rejoice.
Happy Easter everyone.