I almost missed the egg hunt Sunday, but that’s OK, God had me chatting with new visitors to church. I’m glad they walked in to fulfill their Easter day. And grateful I was there to be welcoming. (And no worries, I was handed a BIG egg with candy by one of the egg hunting children afterwards, so sweet!).  I stepped afterwards into the inside of the church basement to wash my hands and I felt the empty, the Spirit had stepped OUTSIDE, to where the people were. All day I felt the people were the connections that held Easter. Many years ago, I got to share in one particular egg hunt, when my kids were maybe 8 to 10ish, and I remember a young man my son’s age scoping out his bountiful harvest of candy at the table. I remember his face in a real puzzlement when an egg he opened was empty. No candy, and a real momentary pouting sad face… 

Me with my “quick thinking”, which I hope was inspired by the Holy Spirit, said: “Ohhhh that empty one has a story in it…”  Not candy but a crucifixion and empty cave story… See when Jesus was crucified and died, they put him in the tomb and rolled a big stone across it. 3 days later He was gone, stone rolled away, tomb empty. I told Joey that He had an “empty tomb egg”. SPECIAL. Celebrating Jesus is Risen. He smiled. I will always remember that smile. Empty in this case was and is fine. Empty tombs are fulfilled prophecy. Empty is Full-Filled.

Eggs are made to be cracked – for food or for baby chick’s to emerge or plastic ones for candy… Empty tombs pour out too. Think of Easter morning, Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb, Jesus met her alone and her with an empty feeling, and He “filled her in” – filled her in with the news and with the Spirit – that INDEED He was ALIVE, just as He said would happen. 

Jesus filled her emptiness – we all know that “our empty” needs Spirit filling. At times we need to purposely empty our schedules some to make room for spiritual fillings. We need to declutter our lives and make a good empty space for Him to sit quietly with us. We need an “empty” to get “full”. Mary herself has been emptied of demons, now she had room for compassion, care, and her Christ. Empty brokenness is how God sees us – as fixable and fillable. 

An empty Full Easter is like an egg already cracked. You can’t re-piece together the original, but you can make something different out of the contents. We too, must make a new start from a new creation cracked and hatched out of our brokenness.  Let God lead…

Amen and Happy Easter again. 

John 20:1, 11-18  KJV

The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. … But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.

Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.