Religion: A Pastor Ponders

Easter In 3-D

by Pastor William Jenkins

March 12, 2005

One of my favorite preachers of all time is Peter Marshall (deceased), Chaplain of the Senate, 1947-49, and pastor of New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, Washington, D.C.,1937-49. “A Man Called Peter” is the title of a book and movie about his life.

Peter Marshall had a rare gift of making any scene in the Bible come alive in 3-D.

He said concerning the resurrection of Jesus that it must not be watered down by “spiritualizing” it. It must be so authentic that you and I can see it:

“Suddenly, at a given moment between sunset and dawn…there is a rustling as of the breath of God moving through the garden. A man rises up from the cold stone slab where He had been laid, lifeless. We must see Him as He walks to the threshold of the tomb. He leans against the entrance and looks around. A smile creases his lips and He walks out into the dewy garden, alive forevermore.

We must be able to see in the mind’s eye the discarded grave clothes lying there, like a glove from which the hand has been removed, the fingers of which still retain the shape of the hand.---lying there, collapsed a little, slightly deflated from the weight of the spices between the layers of cloth. We must be able to catch a whiff of the strange scent of linen and bandages, of spices and fresh flowers of the morning when life anew began over all the earth.”

Easter is such a glorious happening in history. Twenty centuries of dusty time have failed to take the luster from it. Nothing stirs the hope that is in our hearts like this unique event. If there was only one day of the year that people made their way to worship God, Easter should be that day.

I hope all of you will find your way to the sanctuary on Easter Sunday to hear again the Story, to reclaim the hope and regain the perspective of eternity that shines from His empty tomb.

League City United Methodist Church is located at 1411 Main Street (FM 518), one block east of Interstate 45. For information, call the church offices at 281-332-1557 or visit the website at

HYPERLINK - http://www.lcumc.org