The miracles of yesteryear are here for us today

With Easter week and all of its plastic and chocolate eggs upon us, it is surprising that The King James Version of The Holy Bible only uses the word “Easter” once.  Until one realizes that Easter wasn’t Easter until the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ Jesus. There was no need for the word to be used before that consecrated act of Love.  

The real shock when the word “Easter” is found used, in The Act of the Apostles chapter 12 verse 4, wasn’t in reverence and holiness, but as a holding pattern for murder and crowd and self appeasement!

At the time it was mentioned Herod had already cut off the head of James, the brother of John, two of Christ Jesus’ disciples, and was holding Peter in prison for the same event. But the time was the Passover and Herod had to wait till after Easter to commence his murderous activity.  Herod’s delight in appeasing the Jews and their desire of this monstrous practice of taking hold of Jesus’ apostles and brutally killing them with not an axe but a sword, cutting off their heads as they did John the Baptist, had to wait until after Easter.  The incongruity of the two different celebrations has a vast chasm between the Holiness of the time of Easter and the heinous desire to execute the followers of the Christ.

The one next in line for this beheading was Peter.  He was sitting in prison awaiting his fate.  He had two chains holding him, two soldiers on either side of him, and the keepers before the door of the prison.  So what does he do?  Wale, whine, moan, ‘rent his clothes’, get over rot to the point of throwing up?  No, he sings, prays and at night he sleeps.   He and his group pray without ceasing unto God for him. He seems to be the very picture of peace, stillness and trust.  Had the Easter event of Christ Jesus given to Peter a trust that was higher than the evidences and threats of personal harm, even death? Was this trust justified?

It would seem so because in the middle of the night an ‘angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly.  And his chains fell off from his hands.  And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did.  And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.’¹

Peter was quite surprised by all of this Divine Activity that when ‘he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angle; but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.  And when Peter was come to himself, he said, NOW I KNOW of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.’²

Now the question begs for an answer…why would one turn to bunnies and plastic eggs and the fan fair of Hallmark and ham, when one can celebrate the power of Easter that is Divine?

“The highest earthly representative of God, speaking of human ability to reflect divine power, prophetically said to his disciples, speaking not for their day only but for all time: ‘He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also;’ and ‘These signs shall follow them that believe.’ ³

“Now, as then, these mighty works are not supernatural, but supremely natural.  They are the sign of Immanuel, or ‘God with us,’—a divine influence ever present in human consciousness and repeating itself, coming now as was promised aforetime,
To preach deliverance to the captives [of sense],
And recovering of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty them that are bruised.”⁴

Through the life and works of Christ Jesus and the discovery of Christian Science we also can, through more consecrated lives, demonstrate healing works with ‘signs following them that believe.’  We can turn our lives into higher demonstrations of ‘Immanuel, God with us’ and bring humanity up higher than the nonsense of trivial celebrations into the ‘newness of life’ as powerful manifestation of the Christ-activity.

Let us throw away the heinous act of imprisoning ourselves from this Christ activity and learn HOW to demonstrate it.  It is our birthright as the Children of God.

Gentle hug


1        The King James Version of the Acts of the Apostles chapter 12 verses 1-11
2        Ibid
3        Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy page 52 lines 23-28
4        Ibid page Xi lines 14-21