Sunday Reflection — Easter Morning 
One of the things I loved about reading the Old Testament is how often the words seem to reach forward in time, pointing quietly toward the life of Christ.
Seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah wrote words that Christians have long understood as a glimpse of the suffering and sacrifice that would one day bring salvation.
“He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…
He was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.”
— Isaiah 53:3–5
Every year during Holy Week, when I watch the story of the crucifixion, I find it hard not to cry. The suffering that Jesus endured is painful to witness, even centuries later. The physical pain is difficult enough to see, but what often touches me most is the rejection he experienced.
He was betrayed, denied, abandoned, and misunderstood. Those who had once followed him scattered in fear, and even his closest friends could not stay with him in his darkest hour.
Yet this is also why the story of Christ speaks so deeply to the human heart.
When we experience moments of rejection, when we feel hurt, abandoned, or misunderstood by others — even by those closest to us — we can remember that Jesus walked that path before us. He understands the sorrow and loneliness that sometimes come with being human.
But the story does not end at the cross.
Easter morning reminds us that suffering and sorrow are not the final word. The tomb was found empty, and hope rose where grief once stood.
The resurrection tells us that God’s love is stronger than rejection, stronger than sorrow, and stronger even than death itself.
May this Easter morning bring peace to your heart and light to your home.
Happy Easter. 
Helene
Rosemary Thyme
