<> Ask the Pastor Pastor Walter Snyder "Coming up empty" refers to a bucket drawn from a well or a net from the sea. The anticipated return is not there. Desire is unfulfilled. If you're looking for the column's normal "question and answer" format, you've come up empty. That's because today marks the day when "coming up empty" is not only tolerated, but celebrated. The women came to the tomb early to complete the embalming of Jesus' body. Their quest came up empty because the tomb was empty. Their desire was to honor the One whom they so loved. Yet this desire was misplaced, because they were looking for the living among the dead. The Jewish leaders wanted Jesus dead and buried, followers scattered, teachings forgotten. They got a guard from Pilate so no one could steal the body and claim that he'd risen. They, too, came up empty. Jesus' enemies seemingly understood what he'd been teaching more clearly than did many of his friends and followers. They just disbelieved. They clearly recognized that Jesus predicted his bodily resurrection, and they tried to ensure that the disciples wouldn't open the tomb and fake his rising. Meanwhile, those who were close to him seemed uniformly downcast. The tragedy of the previous days was fresh in their minds, while Jesus' promises of resurrection were forgotten. Many of us regularly "come up empty" in our day-to-day lives. We desire and anticipate many things that don't come to pass. We want more love, greater respect, higher wages, fewer problems with life, health, or family. We don't get them, our searches seem empty, and our very lives feel hollow and unfulfilled. We may think that this is bad, that Satan has us right where he wants us--down and depressed. Yet these are the times when God has us where he wants us--open, empty, ready to receive. Remember the account of the disciples fishing through the night and catching nothing? All that hard work was wasted. No sleep, no income, no nothing. So Jesus told them to drop the nets again, at the wrong place and the wrong time of day. Suddenly, the drought was broken, the emptiness filled. No "luck" became unimagined good fortune. Famine was feast and rags were riches. This would pass. The fish would be sold and the money used. It was, however, a sign--a clue that God was changing things through Jesus. God seeks us out in our empty times. Through his Word and his Holy Spirit, he finds us when we are at our lowest points. He comes to fill our emptiness, not with those things that pass away, but with the imperishable blessings of himself. He leads us to the empty tomb, not to reinforce the negative, but to point us beyond its emptiness. He brings us to the fullness of his love in Christ Jesus. The Resurrection message is, "Though your life may seem as empty as this tomb, in Jesus you are filled beyond measure." As David confessed, "My cup overflows!" The tomb isn't empty because of a hoax or unfulfilled dream but because the tomb is the wrong place to be looking. Ours is a God of the living, not of the dead. Jesus is alive, and in him we have life. He who emptied himself out (Philippians 2:7) to serve, to suffer, and to die is now the fulfillment of life eternal. We don't have to make pilgrimages to Israel to visit his resting place; his resting place is in the hearts of those who believe in him. Goodbye emptiness, directionlessness, and purposelessness! We are filled--given direction and purpose. We decline now to trust our own reason or to follow our own desires. His plain Word, simple water, bread and wine, body and blood don't make any more sense to unbelievers than did casting out the nets that day on the Sea of Galilee. Yet he says, "This is where I am." Faith believes and celebrates. His tomb is empty; our lives are full. His tomb is empty; heaven fills with those who believe. His tomb is empty, never his promises. "I will be with you always. Because I live, you will live also." God grant that each of us be emptied of all that is not of Christ and filled beyond measure with his good Word and Holy Spirit. Alleluia! He is risen as he said! Alleluia! Next week, Lord willing, we'll get back to the questions (which are piling up). On the menu are such things as prayers for the dead, the "Gap Theory" of creation, the flaming sword at Eden, Abraham's lies, Scripture and tradition, "alternative" medicine, and eternal security. Until then, remember to "Ask the Pastor" at P.O. Box 1080, Jasper, Texas, 75951; E-mail xrysostom@aol.com; or catch me around town. Pastor Snyder serves St. Paul and Faith Lutheran Churches, Jasper and Woodville, Texas and is the coauthor of "What Do Lutherans Believe? A Study Guide in Christian Teachings for Adults." Copyright (c) 1997 by Walter P. Snyder Permission is granted by author to reproduce or retransmit this by any means, provided that its content is not altered, that this notice of copyright and permission is included, and that no financial gain is realized.