There are two images that come to mind when I think of Easter. You can’t have one without the other. The first image would be that of the Cross. There’s nothing like it. It’s a stark image that made the first believers shudder so much that it does not appear in Christian art for five centuries after Jesus died! But the Cross is the instrument of our salvation. It stands at the intersection of heaven and humanity. The words spoken from the Cross, the action taken by Jesus in accepting the Cross, the dreaded moment of his death, all of these together provide life, everlasting life, to all of us.

The second image is even more glorious than the first. It is the empty tomb. Jesus, having been buried, rose from the dead and left the tomb behind. But we are now co-authors of this glorious story, in that we must carry our own cross, die to the old life, be raised with Christ and eventually live with God in glory.

Every year we live this story over again in our worship. I can’t wait for Easter. It’s the best day. I invite you this year, through our