I’m not sure why, but I have always been a collector of great quotes.  I think it has something to do with capturing an inspiring, funny or deep thought in just a few words.  There is always one quote I think of when Holy Week comes around.  It  is from the late screenwriter and author, Jim Thompson.  He once wrote, thinking about writing, that “There is only one plot…..things are not what they seem.”   In the greatest story ever told, which culminates in Easter, that might be especially true. 

Often in Jesus earthly life, things were not what they seemed.  A man blind from birth was suddenly able to see, after Jesus touched him.  A man buried for days, walked out of his tomb, after Jesus arrived.  A little bit of fish and bread was enough to feed thousands. 

But the high point of this principle can be seen at Easter.  Three days before Jesus had been executed on a cross.  It seemed certain that he was dead, and buried, and that his ministry and his promises, were all over now.   It seemed certain he was no longer a threat to the powers of the world.  It seemed certain that he was gone – forever. 

But things aren’t always as they seem.  That first Easter morning his tomb was empty and he was more alive than ever.  His promises were now even more real. A new power was unleashed upon the world and within us. 

The fullness of what this means is beyond our ability to completely comprehend.  But one of the things it means is that Christ can redeem all that we face in life.   Sometimes our days can feel as dark and hard as the days of this sacred week.  But things aren’t always as they seem.

The truth of Easter is that Jesus is alive, and that means that it is never too late for a new dawn in our lives.  Jesus came to this world for us.  His promise is not only eternal life, but abundant life, here and now.

The reality of that Easter morning, 2000 years ago, despite how things appeared on Friday, is that there is nothing that can separate us from Jesus’ ability to restore us.  With God, things are never as they might seem to us.  May that be so for each of us.  Amen.