Morning Devotional:
When I traveled to the Holy Land in 2017, our last tour stop was to the Garden Tomb. It is a beautiful site filled with flower gardens and green spaces, an ancient cistern, areas where visitors and tour groups can gather for prayer and contemplation and of course, a tomb indicative of the one used to bury Jesus after his crucifixion.
Of all the places I visited in my tour of Israel, this was the most compelling site for me. Tour guides talked of evidence found in the site that make it a rival of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as the place where Jesus was buried but honestly, I didn’t care a whole lot about that. Just imagining what the site would have looked like in Jesus’ day was enough for me to become overwhelmed.
At one point in our visit, we got to walk into an empty tomb to see what it would have looked like inside. Each of us made our way quietly into and out of the tomb, but one member of our tour group broke the somber mood in a fantastic way. As she exited the tomb, she raised her hands up high and in her loudest Southern drawl gave her Lord glory by shouting, “Well, He ain’t in there, praise God!”
The tomb was empty, and it still is! What does that mean for us today? Sin and death are conquered. Because His tomb is empty, those who put their trust in Him will never be left empty. We serve a risen Savior, a living Lord. Jesus is the resurrection and the life, just as He said. Let His empty tomb be the proof you need.
– Beth
Burning Question:
It’s National Siblings Day. What is something good, bad or hilarious that your sibling did?
Bible Quiz:
Question: What did Joseph accuse his brothers of stealing?
Answer: A silver cup (Genesis 44:1-17)
Storytime: Eat Less!