The Miracle That Changed All of Eternity
Posted on: March 31, 2024
The following is a special devotional from NGU President Dr. Gene C. Fant, Jr.
“He is not here, but he has risen!” (Luke 24:6a)
My life has been filled with memorable Easter weekends.
I made my public profession of faith at a Good Friday service, in the house church my dad pastored in Western New York. I walked the makeshift aisle in our living room and even now I stand amazed by how that event changed my life.
Lisa and I were married on an Easter weekend, on the only sunny day amid what felt like weeks of rain, with the daffodils and irises of Lisa’s hometown blooming madly. This year marks thirty-five years since that day; I am amazed by her patient love.
Our twins, Ethan and Emily, were born on yet another Good Friday. We spent Easter in the hospital with them, overwhelmed by the amazing love we felt as we held our precious newborns.
These personal markers have enriched our Easter weekends, but as significant as they are, even they pale by comparison with why Easter matters. The truth of Easter is even more amazing!
Luke 24 emphasizes the sadness of the first Easter morning. Christ’s followers approached the tomb in the dim, early morning light, carrying the burial spices required for the difficult task of preparing a corpse for its decay. It was a somber, tearful chore.
And yet, the stone had been rolled away: the tomb was empty! The miracle they beheld did not merely change their morning, it changed all of eternity. The Savior of the universe had arisen triumphant, the penalty for sins had been paid, and the transcendent love that had been made possible was now apparent. Even now, we can join with Peter in being “amazed at what had happened”! (v. 12): Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
