Empty promises

A boy graduating from high school told his dad what he wanted as a graduation present: a car. This story is from a Dear Abby column a few years back. Father and son went shopping for the car, and they found the perfect one. When graduation day came, the son unwrapped the box from dad. It was a book, not car keys. He was so angry that he stormed out of the house... out of the city... out of his parent's life. The next time he was in the family house, it was when his dad died. Sadness all around. In going through some old momentous, the son found that old book. As he was dusting it off, an envelope fell out. It was a cashiers check for the exact amount of that car. The check had been in the book all the time. The father had given the son money for the car. Such a tragedy.

Easter is misunderstood, too. And that's a tragedy. Like the boy and his car, you think you are getting one thing... but what you are getting is something else.

Easter is full of empty promises. That's all Easter is: a bunch of empty promises.

Passers by saw empty crosses on Golgotha. It was the sabbath, so nobody had dismantled the execution scene. The empty crosses were a reminder of that had happened a day or so before. When the cross in the middle was full -- when it still held our Master -- he said "It is finished." The new testament: lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.

On the first Easter morning, some women went to visit the tomb of our Lord. They found the Roman guards unconscious, the tomb unsealed, and an angel. The angel said "Do not be afraid. You are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. He is risen." The tomb: empty.

They found burial clothes: empty.

Some parochial school students were each given plastic eggs, like you can buy panty-hose in. They were told to fill their eggs with something that represented the season to them and bring it back tomorrow. The next day, one kid came back with a little chocolate bunny. A couple had put green grass into their eggs. Many of the students came with springtime flowers representing the earth coming back to life after a cold winter. As the teacher opened each egg, one was found to be empty. Everyone laughed: "how stupid is that!" One kid spoke up: "That one is mine." This child was poor and had Downs Syndrome, meaning he looked different and did unusual things. The kids chuckled a bit, and the teacher even rolled her eyes. But the kid said, "No, I did it right. What Easter means is that the tomb was empty." It is easy to see pretty flowers, but the smart kids in the class completely missed seeing "empty." The next year, this child's weak body gave into an infection. At his funeral, the entire third grade brought empty eggs to place in his casket. This different kid, the retarded child, got it.

The crucifixion was gastly. It was bloody. It was painful. It was a tragedy. It is easy to remember and visualize. But that wasn't the point. The point is that the cross is empty... the tomb is empty... the shroud is empty.