Pause and breathe in the Easter story as we celebrate Jesus’ victory in Holy Week.

Here is our Easter Day joyful Reflection.

The Painting – The Empty Tomb by Nebiyu Assefa (Large version of picture can be downloaded) https://www.imaginor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/JiELarge-pictures.pdf

The Story: On the third day after Jesus had been crucified and whilst it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the garden tomb where Jesus had been laid. As she drew nearer, she noticed, with alarm, that the huge stone that had been in front of the entrance had been rolled away! Bewildered, Mary raced back to the disciples who immediately returned with her to see for themselves. It was true, the tomb was empty and Jesus’ body was no longer there! Shocked and confused but realising there was nothing to be done, the men went home again but Mary stayed. She had never felt more alone and she wept bitterly. Bending over once more, Mary looked into the cave. To her amazement, she saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been. “Why are you crying?” they asked. “They have taken my Lord away” she said “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this moment Mary turned and saw Jesus standing there. At first she did not recognise him but then he spoke her name, “Mary”. Her face lit up, her tears turned to joy and her heart was ready to burst. She had seen him with her own eyes, Jesus was alive!

Reflect: Jesus is alive! But at first Mary didn’t recognise him. Why do you think this could have been? Hands always play an important part in Nebiyu’s art. What do you notice about Jesus’ hands and feet in this picture? Why do you think it might have been important for Mary to see these?

Create: It is Easter Day! Now is the time to celebrate! Transform your Easter garden and make it look amazing with lots of colour. Take the chains that you made on Thursday and pull them apart one by one to reveal the colour inside. Make an Easter cross with the pieces. What was dark and cold is now vibrant and alive!

Pray: Lord Jesus Today we celebrate the miracle that is Easter. You broke the chains of death and you are alive! Let your light shine into every corner of our world and may your love live in our hearts now and forever. Amen

This resource is a free downloadable resource from the Imaginor team & Shahne Vickery. Copyright belongs to Imaginor, and we are grateful to them for permission to publish. Larger copies of the images can be found here https://www.imaginor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/JiELarge-pictures.pdf