Easter

We live in the meantime. A stable came before the throne—a cross preceded the empty tomb. Between the accolades of the triumphal entry and the joys of the resurrection stood the instrument of death. Humility preceded exaltation; suffering came before reward. Hope for the joy of the second provided a resource for enduring the first: “For the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2).

These remnants of his crucifixion we observe on the morning of his resurrection. They proclaim his death till returns. Looking at the whole process enables us to see one part in light of the others, to leverage the future into power for the present, confident that sorrow and misfortune are never the final condition. The message of the emblems is for the meantime that we may endure temporary negative in our quest for eternal good.