“He’s not here; He has risen, just as He promised!" ~ Luke 24:6-7
For the first time in her life,
Jenni wouldn’t be in church on Easter Sunday. She’d promised Eric, her
boyfriend, that she’d go camping with him and some friends that weekend. She
realized the mistake too late to cancel the trip.
Now as they loaded the gear, Jenni kept replaying Easter
memories: driving home from college to attend church with her family, melodious
organ music, the aromatic smell of Easter lilies, and children dressed in their
Sunday best. Easter was special.
As soon as they arrived at Cades Cove Campground, in the
Smoky Mountains, Jenni hurried to the welcome station to ask the ranger if she
knew if any of the churches were holding Easter services.
“If they are, no one told me,” she said shaking her head.
Cades Cove is one of the most popular spots in the park.
Visitors travel its 11-mile loop by car, foot, or bicycle, to catch a glimpse
of the area’s wildlife - deer, turkeys, foxes, even an occasional black
bear.
Sunday morning Jenni woke early to heavy fog. No one else
stirred. She left a note beside the coffeepot, grabbed her bike, and pedaled to
Cades Cove. The meadow’s grass was fresh with dew. Dogwood blossoms dotted the
woods. A doe and her fawn stared at her through the mist. Three miles in, she
discovered Cades Cove Methodist Church.
Its doors were open. Jenni slipped inside. Twenty-four pews,
a large wooden pulpit, and a time-worn piano.
She sat down and tickled the only keys she knew by heart: “Joyful,
joyful, we adore thee…”
Then Jenni stepped up to the pulpit, opened the pages of a vintage
leather Bible to Luke’s Gospel, and read the account of Jesus’ Resurrection aloud.
She looked up. A young couple with three small children
stood in one of the doorways. Dad took off his hat. “Excuse me,” he said. “We
heard the piano. Are you having Easter service here today?”
“Yes!” Jenni said. “Please, come in.”
Easter had come to her on its own. Christ had risen and was
alive - for the women at the tomb, for her, and, now for others to share it
with.
To close, the daughter suggested her favorite hymn, “Jesus
Loves Me.” Mom asked if she could lead them in a closing prayer. They all
bowed their heads. “Thank you, God, for Easter and new friends. Amen!”
They left the church into the warm spring sun, a day once
again bright with the Promise of Easter.
