Easter Archives - Baptist & Reflector

EASTER DID NOT END AT 11:59 P.M. ON SUNDAY

April 5, 2021

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
lwilkey@tnbaptist.org

One of the aggravating parts of being a biweekly publication is that holidays don’t always fall prior to a print issue. As a result, I did not publish a pre-Easter column. But, here’s the good news. Easter did not end on Sunday, April 4, at 11:59 p.m.

That is why I can write a column in the first issue after Easter (and every other issue of the year if I choose). Easter never ends.

Christians know the story of Mary Magdalene finding the empty tomb and running to tell Jesus’ disciples that He was no longer there. The key word here is “empty.” The tomb was empty because Jesus did what He said he would do — He arose from the grave. [Read more…]

PASTORS, CHURCHGOERS TIRED BUT HOPEFUL FOR EASTER 2021

April 1, 2021

By Aaron Earls
LifeWay Christian Resources writer

NASHVILLE — Working through a time of grief. Exhausted from what they’ve been through. Excited about what’s to come.

As pastors prepare for Easter this year, they may have more insight on how Jesus’ followers felt leading up to the first Resurrection Sunday.

And much like those early gatherings of believers, Easter celebrations at church services may not be full of people but will probably be full of hope and optimism for the future. [Read more…]

IF TOMBS COULD TALK

April 19, 2019

By Michael Julian
Pastor, Macedonia Baptist Church, Kenton.

Emptiness. We seek to avoid this feeling with every fiber of our being. When you feel emotionally empty it’s as if all sentiment and feeling have gone south for the winter, and left you in the cold, harsh conditions of the Arctic. When your dreams keep turning up empty it’s as if someone has stolen the fire in your eyes and replaced it with smoky, gray ashes incapable of being ignited again. Many people trudge through life shrouded in emptiness. Listen to an ancient tomb in a garden near Golgotha speak volumes to us all. [Read more…]

EASTER: GROWING UP WITH AN ESSENTIAL TRUTH

April 18, 2019

By Chuck Kelley Jr.
President, New Orleans (La.) Baptist Theological Seminary

Chuck Kelly

My childhood was different than most. I grew up in the home of a funeral director. For the first years of my life, we literally lived in the funeral home itself in an apartment above the family rooms, casket room and chapel.

Far earlier than most, I learned an essential truth about life: Death is inevitable for all. [Read more…]

CARSON-NEWMAN STUDENTS BUILD EASTER BASKETS FOR AREA CHILDREN

March 29, 2019

From Carson-Newman communications

Carson-Newman University student-volunteers assembled 75 baskets for area children in need. — Photo from Carson-Newman

JEFFERSON CITY — More than 70 Carson-Newman University student-volunteers recently came together to assemble Easter baskets for area children in need.

The baskets were then donated to Morristown-based Food on Foot. They included toys, snacks and activity books for young children. Students lined up to assemble the gifts Tuesday during a festive, on-campus Easter event known simply as “The Hunt.” The University’s offices of Community Connections and Residence Life sponsored the event. [Read more…]

THE ONLY BLOODLINE THAT REALLY MATTERS

March 20, 2018

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

In January of 2010 I wrote a column for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday about my mother Ruth. I shared how she gave birth to me out of wedlock when she possibly could have had an abortion. Remember that in the late 1950s there was a stigma towards women who had babies outside marriage.

Abortion was never an option for her. She gave birth to me and, with the help of her parents, raised me to the best of her ability. Over the years I wondered about my biological father, but she would never discuss him. It was taboo. I honored her wishes as best as I could but after I became an adult and had to fill out medical history forms I realized that I knew nothing about one side of my family tree. I usually just put my father was deceased and I had no information. For no other reason, I wanted to know if there was a genetic disease we might need to be aware of one day. [Read more…]

KNOXVILLE CHURCH BAPTIZES 105 BELIEVERS

May 3, 2017

By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector

Samantha Wilson was one of 105 new believers baptized on April 23 at Faith Promise Church in Knoxville.

KNOXVILLE – Faith Promise Church here baptized 105 new believers on Sunday, April 23.

The baptisms came following 331 professions of faith between April 12 and Easter Sunday, April 16. During that time frame the church held 42 services in eight locations, said Pastor Chris Stephens. He noted 16,432 people attended the services. [Read more…]

SYMBOLS OF EASTER

April 10, 2017

By Carolyn Tomlin
Contributing Writer, B&R

Passing a shop filled with Easter gifts, I noticed cuddly lambs, soft yellow chicks, and other baby animals in pastel shades. Nearby, the traditional Easter lilies filled the air with their distinct aromatic scent. Across the street, a bakery displayed hot-cross buns and pretzels focusing on the Easter season. And as a reminder of Jesus being raised from the dead in a glorified body, a beautiful butterfly fluttered above.

These are only a few of the representations associated with Easter. Perhaps, as adults, we are familiar with these signs, but do our children know the reason for these symbols? Do they know the ancient roots going back to the death and resurrection of Jesus? Look at a few of the traditional symbols of Easter and what they represent: [Read more…]

EASTER: THREE COMMANDS FROM AN EMPTY TOMB

April 7, 2017

By Steve Gaines
SBC President & Pastor, Bellevue Baptist Church, Cordova

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you’ ” (Matthew 28:5-7 NASB).

Springtime is here. Dogwoods and daffodils bloom as winter retreats and warmer days are welcomed.

Across America, churches will soon be packed on Easter Sunday.

Why? [Read more…]

PRESENTATION OFFERED FOR 19TH YEAR

April 14, 2016

By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector

The trial of Jesus, left, is conducted by Pilate, center, as Barabbas looks on. The actors are, from left, Mark Finchum, John Fox, and Brian Morgan.

NEW MARKET — For the 19th year, cars gathered at New Market Baptist Church here to drive through “The Trail to the Empty Tomb.”

This year, about 650 people viewed the presentation on two nights. One night was rained out, but that has only happened one other time over the years, explained J.W. Taylor, pastor. The presentation has been offered in various kinds of weather other than rain, even in snow, but none of the actors have ever been hurt and even gotten sick, reported Becky Finley, director.

Most years about 1,200 people view the Easter presentation. This year about 325 of those who attended the event had never viewed it before.

The Trail to the Empty Tomb includes 11 scenes, beginning with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem through His ascension into heaven. As cars leave the presentation, they view one final scene not nearly as elaborate as the others. At the exit sits a lawn chair in which lays a person’s clothes. A pair of shoes sit in front of the chair. A sign by the chair reads, “Don’t be left behind,” referring to the rapture. [Read more…]

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