If Jesus represents God's love for the world, I have for too long kept the love of Christ caved up within me, wrapped in death shrouds of denial.  Such a self-sacrificial love for others remains buried, hidden away in the darkness of the tomb of my being, the stone of pride and ego firmly rolled into place, sealing it from the light and air of life.  As a pastor, I gull myself into thinking I know what God's love is and what it looks like: focused on "being nice," being addicted to having others approve of and "like me."  I am a pastor, after all; a caring man of the church.  But Jesus calls upon me to love-BLESS-my enemies, those who drive the nails into my flesh, whip me with scorn, who crown me with their sharp barbs, and leave me for dead.  Jesus, hanging painfully from the cross of all that disappointment of those who swore they would never leave you, thinking only of their well-being because you have all you need from God, it is I who have nailed you, scourged you, and buried you in the tomb of my spiritual
artifice.  Thank God your love is too much for all of that, as it comes crashing silently out on Easter morning, busting my pride wide open on the way.  Any crucifixion is well worth it if it means learning to love like that.

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’ When she had said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” ’ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that he had said these things to her.