“I hatched what I thought was an unbelievably imaginative plan to celebrate the spirit of Easter”
During 38 years of ministry, I've done a lot of interesting things. While pastoring in Texas, for instance, I once performed a wedding while everyone in the wedding party (including myself) sat on horses.
I once delivered a large bag of coins to the high school band director (a gift from his students) at the Christmas concert. My method of delivery was a bit unique. I rode my racing motorcycle down the aisles of the auditorium while dressed in a Santa Claus suit. With the baffle out, Mean Green was the mother of all loud motorcycles.
In the early 70's, I went to work as a youth minister at a large, mainline denominational church. I was called to minister at that particular church because of my burden to work with young people even though I was not a member of that denomination.
We called our Friday and Saturday night group "The Fish". Outside the stairs leading to the third floor meeting place was a tall sign constructed in the shape of a vertical fish, a symbol used by the early church. It was made out of three inch pipe and stood about eight feet tall. P.S. It was painted fluorescent orange!
As Easter was approaching one year, I hatched what I thought was an unbelievably imaginative plan to celebrate the spirit of Easter and make a statement to all the hundreds of folks who drove by our church building every day.
I went to the head pastor and laid out my plan. Now, at this point, I need to give you a thumbnail word picture of this man. He was an older man, full of vitality and warmth. He was one of the neatest men I'd ever known and working with him was a genuine pleasure. He was so dignified, I kidded him about taking a shower in his suit! In the time we worked together, as the youth ministry took off and grew, I found him to be very supportive of just about anything I wanted to do to reach kids. Notice I said "just about anything"?
Now, back to "my plan". The young people and I proposed constructing an empty tomb beside the busy boulevard. We were going to make a frame out of chicken wire and cover it with some plaster. This tomb was going to be open on both ends, sorta like a tunnel. As the cars went by, the drivers would be able to see clear through the tomb. I wanted to put up a sign up that said, "IT'S EMPTY. HE'S NOT HERE!"
When I finished presenting my plan to the head pastor, thinking it would be routinely approved, I saw the strangest look come over his face. He said, in his kindest, most gentle manner, "But, Jerry, I think it's a little too far out. It might be embarrassing to our church." I don't believe he meant that letting the passersby know that our church believed in the resurrection would be embarrassing. Everything he did was "neat". I think he felt that a crude looking replica made out of chicken wire and plaster would not fit the image of the rest of the church image.
I was really let down. It seemed like such an excellent way to make a simple, but profound statement. The tomb is empty! "He is risen. He is risen, indeed!"
Well, we survived our difference of opinion quite well. The plaster replica of an empty tomb remained forever a figment of my rather fertile imagination.
Okay, maybe putting up a tomb replica was a lot to expect from a traditional, mainline denominational church. However, they DID go for the eight foot fluorescent fish symbol beside the stairway!
Folks, Jesus is risen! His bones are not to be found. The grave could not hold Him. An angel rolled away the stone. He didn't roll the stone away to let Jesus out of the grave. He rolled it away to prove that Jesus wasn't there. The resurrection was the most preached about subject in the New Testament church. Without it, our faith is in vain.
Jerry Meyer AKA PapaJ, past away June 21, 2005. Miss you bunches, Jerry!—Grant