It's Empty!

Little Philip, born with Down’s syndrome, attended a third-grade Sunday school class with several eight-year-old boys and girls. Typical of that age, the children did not readily accept Philip with his differences. But because of a creative teacher, they began to care about Philip and somewhat accepted him as part of the group.

The Sunday before Easter, the teacher brought a container of plastic eggs that open up. She gave one to each child and told them to go outside on that lovely spring day, find some symbol for new life and put it in their plastic egg. Then they would bring their eggs back inside and share their new-life symbols as each was opened.

After running about the church property in wild confusion, the children returned to the classroom and placed their eggs on the table. Surrounded by the children, the teacher began to open them one by one. As each was opened, the class would ooh and ahh over the flower, leaf or butterfly within.

Then one was opened, revealing nothing inside. The children exclaimed, “That’s stupid. That’s not fair. Somebody didn’t do their assignment.”

Philip spoke up, “That’s mine.”

“Philip, you don’t ever do things right!” the children said. “There’s nothing in there!”

“I did so do it right,” Philip insisted. “It’s empty. The tomb was empty!”

Silence followed. From then on Philip became a full member of the class.

Philip died not long afterward from an infection most children would have been able to shrug off. At the funeral this class of eight-year-olds and their Sunday school teacher quietly walked up to the front, but not with flowers. One by one, each child came and placed on the altar an empty plastic egg.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

Happy Resurrection Day

from your friends at CMI!