Gabe's Recent Paper

Stone

“In first place is…” Stone and Tony were sitting on the bench waiting for the announcer to declare the winner of the U.S. skateboard competition.

“Stone Jefferson from the town of Sapphire, and in second place is Aaron Wood from Aspin, in third place is Tony Peterson again from Sapphire” Stone and tony flew from their seats so fast it looked as though they didn’t even touch the ground. Aaron had won this event before so he just walked up to accept his award with a smile. There was a golden miniature skateboard for Stone, a silver one for Aaron, and a bronze for Tony. Stone and tony gathered their things and started the walk home.

“Dude, I entered that competition knowing I wouldn’t win, just trying to see new tricks, but it turns out we did it!”

Tony was always thinking positive. He usually wore his black collared shirt, his blue jeans, and brown hat turned sideways.

Stone was the popular showoff and was always trying to get attention. He had long brown hair with hazel eyes. No one knew how stone got his name, so it has always been a mystery. When ever some one asked him, he would always change the subject.

Stone burst through the door and shut it behind him. He walked up the stairs to his room to put his trophy away. His parents were at work, so he would have to show off his trophy later. Stone walked into the kitchen to get a snack then watched TV. A few hours later his dad walked in the door.

“Hey Dad,”
“Hey, how did the skateboard competition go?”
“I won!”
“Out of all of those people?”
“Yep,”
“Wow!”
“Hold on one sec.”

Stone walked down the steps with the skateboard he won, then showed it to his dad
“That is awesome! You must have worked really hard! Now go put it in your room and let’s eat dinner, your mom will not be home till after you go to bed.” Stone put up his trophy, had dinner, then went to bed.

The next morning Stone got ready for the day then got his skateboard and was about to go to the skate park in the warm summer sun when the phone rang
“I’ll get it! Stone yelled “Hello?”
“Hi, this is Mark Rhodes. I’m the judge for the county fair, and I invite you to perform at the fair on your skateboard. Will you come?”
Stone didn’t hesitate at this offer. He said, “Yes,” hung up the phone, then ran to his skateboard and started for the skate park to start practicing.

Once he got there, he stopped and wondered what trick he should perform. After a while he decided he’d perform a Hoho, a hand stand on your board. He did this a few times, then left wanting to call Tony to tell him the good news. As he walked through the door he went to the calendar forgetting that the county fair was today. Stone ran to get his mom and dad to drive him to the fairgrounds.

Once he got to the place where the skate park was, he noticed it was a half-pipe with a rail to the side. He saw Tony there and walked to him. About seventy-five people were standing around the halfpipe. Tony encouraged Stone before he started to climb the ladder to the top of the half pipe. Stone looked around, and he saw all of the people. He felt weird doing only a hoho. The announcer interrupted his thoughts.

“Now Stone Jeffererson!”
Stone took off. As he did he started to curve over toward the rail. Stone did the hoho and did an olie on to the rail which he had never done before. After gliding for about two seconds, he slowly started to lift one hand.

Then, “Stone, Stone! Wake up!” When he opened his eyes, he could see the white of the blankets. He sat up. Stone looked around for a while. Then he realized he was in a hospital room. He saw his parents in a corner.

“What happened?” Stone asked a nearby doctor.

“You had a nasty fall on your skateboard. I guess you were tring to show off, or at least that is what your friend Tony said.” Stone laughed then felt the cut on his head. He laid back down. In the car, Stone fell asleep. When he woke up, he saw their log home with the green roof. He felt much better. He decided not to show off again, ever.

The Miracle of the Moment

I love the imagery of the resurrection. Sunday school teachers around the world are breaking out their flannel boards and felt characters in preparation for Super Sunday.

The scene might look something like this. High atop a barren hill sits an empty tomb. A perfectly round rock has been rolled away from its’ perfectly symmetrical opening. Beams of blinding light burst forth from the blackness. Approaching the tomb, you notice Clorox-clean burial clothes neatly folded, laying in the exact location of where Jesus body was laid. Birds are chirping, the sun is shining.

All is well in Resurrectionland. It certainly puts a storybook ending on a gruesome chapter that transpired only days before.

What if you found out that the burial place of Christ was not actually sitting atop a hill all by itself? Perhaps the burial plot purchased by Joseph of Arimathea was one of many holes hewned into the rocky side of a mountain, full of other dead people.

What if there was no bright Heavenly light blinding you as you walked up to take a final peak inside the tomb? But instead of rays of light, you were greeted by darkness.

What if the perfectly crafted rolling rock wasn’t perfect at all, but instead was just a big, clunky boulder that Joseph found laying near the grave?

What if the burial clothes that once draped the lifeless body of our Savior weren’t quite as pristine as the pictures depict? They probably more resembled the dried bloodstains and water that rushed from the side our Savior. Perhaps the clothes actually smelled like something that had enveloped a lifeless body for three days.

What if in Christ’s excitement to his ascent to glory, he failed to properly make his bed and neatly fold his clothes?

If the scene of the resurrection was a little less felt-boardish and a little more realistic, would it be good enough?

Would it be good enough that Jesus left his Father’s side in Heaven to hang out with a bunch of sinners like you and me? Would you be satisfied knowing that he lived thirty-three fully human years without sinning? I find it hard to live thirty-three fully human MINUTES without sinning.

During his time here on our tiny blue planet, he healed your blindness, raised your daughter from the dead and gave you a purpose to live...and die for the first time in your life. His reward? A brutal Roman crucifixion. On Friday, Jesus was sentenced to thirty-nine lashes with a whip equipped with bone, glass and metal at the end of each strand of leather. Why not forty? Because under Roman law, forty lashes would be considered a death sentence. There were eight inch spikes driven through both of his wrists and feet into a cross made out of wood, which ultimately led to his suffocation.

As sad as Friday was, Sunday was coming. How good is it knowing that his death was not final, but temporary? It doesn't really matter what actually happened that Easter morning. What matters is that it happened at all. The plot thickens now that there is no one in Joseph's grave.

He did it for only one reason. You. If you were the only person on Earth, His plans would not have changed.

The miracle of this event is not in the scene, but in the act itself. I stand amazed at the act.