I bet I heard my pastor shout that phrase 100X or more during my college years. It was like a rallying cry; by the time he had worked himself up to that exclamation, we were all ready to charge hell with a water pistol (that was another one of his regulars… mine too).
Years later, I would find myself (along with Julie) walking into a tomb in Jerusalem similar to the one in which Jesus would have been placed after they took Him off the cross. I can vividly recall uttering those words under my breath as I stared at the slab of rock comparable to where His body would have been laid, where the disciples would have discovered
the linen cloths, where John… “The other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, then also went in, saw, and believed” (John 20:8).
The greatest thing about that statement is that it’s not just true on Easter Sunday.
January 1? True! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
February 14? Without question! (John 15:13)
March 10? Absolutely! (Philippians 3:10)
April 1? Not kidding around! (1 Corinthians 1:26 – 31)
May 14 & 15 100%! (2 Corinthians 5:14 -15)
June 5-11 No doubt! (Romans 6:5 – 11)
July 4? Affirmative! (Galatians 5:1)
August 25 Unequivocally! (Isaiah 25:8)
September 7 & 8 And then some! (James 5:7 – 8)
October 10? Every time! (John 10:10)
November 25 Thankfully… YES! (John 11:25)
December 2 Yes! (Psalm 12:2)
I hope you’ll take the time to look up the Scriptures and figure out my rhyme and reason (I had a little bit of fun with that), but the main point is simply this… Today is an incredibly wonderful day! Seriously, without it, there’s no reason for any of us to be here right now. But the exciting truth and incredible reality is, we can (and should) live every day in celebration of His resurrection and the life we have in Christ Jesus.
So, go ahead, say it… shout it… you know you want to… “The tomb is empty…”