Well, hello there, tiny theologians. Mr. Truman here, your neighborhood troubadour.

I've just finished tuning my guitar, and I thought I'd spend a little time with you thinking about today's

symbol so go ahead and find your he is risen banner see that symbol of a big stone rolled in front of a

tomb that's today's picture now grab the card with the same image on it. Got it? Great.

Today's reading comes from Matthew, Chapter 27, verses 59 to 60. Let's hear what happened.

Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock.

He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.

Sometimes it's easy for us to overlook these very important verses. Jesus didn't just appear dead or pretend to be dead, but died. He really died in our place. He was placed in a grave and his friends

rolled a big stone in front of the opening of the tomb. Let's read what the

card says. It helps us understand the symbol a little more. Jesus truly died and was truly buried.

His friends thought the story was over. The tomb reminds us that Jesus entered the fullness of death so he could defeat death.

A real Savior had to experience a real death, and Jesus did.

Now, I don't know about you, but I've had times when I thought the story was over, when things felt hopeless.

That must have been how Jesus' friends felt.

They had followed him for years, listened to him teach, and even seen his miracles, and then

they saw him die.

Can you imagine how heavy their hearts must have been when they watched that stone roll into place?

Today's question is,

How do you think Jesus' friends felt when the stone covered the tomb?

Well, I imagine they felt heartbroken, maybe scared, maybe confused.

They didn't understand that this sad moment was part of God's big plan to bring salvation.

They didn't know what was coming next, but we do. And that gives us hope,

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