'Not here, but risen."

May you all have a blessed Easter!

"Day of the Resurrection (Scripture Reading)

IN the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre, . . . bringing the spices which they had prepared. . . . And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
And the angel said unto the women, Fear not ye: he is not here: for he is risen, as he said. And they remembered his words.

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But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she . . . seeth two angels in white . . . 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.

Matt, xxviii. Luke xxiv. John xx.

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" The Great Morning." (Tilden's Meditation)

'"THANKS be to God that every night, however dark, has its morning! We wake; the light of a new day streaks the East. We go at once to the tomb, as Mary did, carrying our spices of deathless love. We wonder if there be any power strong enough to roll that stone away. But lo! as we look, it is rolled away, and an angel voice says, " Not here, but risen." This is God's world; He owns it all, its sepulchres as well as its gardens. God's angels of comfort are a mighty host, and He knows just what ones to send to roll our stone away. The graves of our loved ones are empty now. New hopes glorified take the place of old hopes buried. It is Easter with us, the octave of our Palm Sunday. The old note of joy is not repeated; but another note is struck, an octave higher. The promise of our Palm Sunday is fulfilled, but not in the way we then hoped. Two suns rise this morning: one to quicken the earth, the other to quicken the soul. No wonder it has been called "The Great Morning." Would we could always live in the light of it; that all the experiences of our Passion Week, our season of Promise, of Purification, of Controversy, of Bargain, of Communion, of Crucifixion, of Darkness, might be lighted with the Resurrection hopes of the Immortal Day!

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AND they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures ?
Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. . . .
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you.

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JESUS LIVED ON THE MOUNT. SO WE HAVE TO CLIMB TO SEE WHAT HE SAW. AND THIS IS WHAT HE WOULD HAVE US DO: TAKE HIS HAND, LOOK UP, AND CLIMB.

Amen