Have you ever tried to turn in a warranty item, use a coupon, get your money back, and then return an item? Did you read the fine print? Too often in life, we are handed a raw deal because of some catch, an empty promise of something and the promiser doesn’t carry through. Everything that was said or written was empty talk. Have you ever been driving on a long stretch of highway out west somewhere and you realize your gas tank is on empty and you see a sign that reads, “Next services, 85 miles”? Empty can be a bad situation, an empty guarantee, an empty tank, an empty belly, an empty bank account. Yet, this past weekend we just celebrated something that was empty.
Early on that Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb of Jesus to prepare his body for a proper burial. But when he arrived, the stone had been rolled away from the entrance of the tomb and Jesus was not there. She ran back to tell Simon Peter and the disciples that the tomb was empty and Jesus was not there; they had taken Him. Imagine her surprise and disappointment, an empty tomb. Of course we know that hind sight is 20/20. As we look back today at that empty tomb, we know that it was not empty at all. In fact, it was full of hope and promise.
1 Peter 1:3 says, “We have been given a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Imagine that, a living hope, not a dead one where we have contracts broken, guarantees unkept, promises left behind. We have a living hope because we serve the ONLY GOD who actually died and rose again.
We have eyewitness accounts in the scriptures of those who saw Him, talked with Him, touched Him, and ate with Him before He went away. And as He went unto the Father, He told us, “I will leave the Comforter to be with you until I return.” Remember that? He said He would come back again. Hallelujah! He will return and fulfill that glorious hope that He gives to all who believe in Him as Lord and Savior. Find that blessed hope today in the only lasting source of joy and contentment, Jesus Christ.
Pastor Christ Marsh
Ditney Ridge Baptist Church
