Have you ever listened to Adventures in Odyssey? Back in the day, it wasn’t a normal car ride home from school if Adventures in Odyssey wasn’t rolling through the radio speakers. Sometimes, if we made it home before the program finished, we’d sit in the driveway and wait for the ending. (#noshame) You know what I loved most about Odyssey, though? The Imagination Station. This week, Easter Week, I’m kind of wishing I had one at my disposal right now.
If you’re not familiar with Adventures of Odyssey or the Imagination Station, let me give you a quick rundown. Then, you’ll see why Easter Week would be the perfect time for an Imagination Station.
WHIT’S END AND THE IMAGINATION STATION
Adventures in Odyssey, a radio program aimed at 8-12 year olds, takes place in Whit’s End. Whit’s End, an ice cream parlor ran by Mr. Whittaker, is where all the cool kids hang out. And where everyone goes to for advice. Mr. Whittaker seems to have all the answers. Better yet, he knows where to find the answers– The Bible.
Mr. Whittaker also has this neat little machine called the Imagination Station. While not a time machine, it does transport the user back through the ages to a time in the Bible that fits the character’s current predicament. For instance, maybe Connie, Mr. Whittaker’s assistant, is having a hard time believing she has a purpose. Well, just set the Imagination Station to the story of Esther and Connie can see everything play out right before her eyes in vivid detail. She can watch and be there as Esther spends months participating in the purification process. She can be there at the feast when Esther petitions King A to save her people. And be convinced she, too, has a purpose in this world and work to do for the Kingdom.
(Honestly, Adventures in Odyssey is THE BEST radio program for kids. Check it out here and check out Focus on the Family, the masterminds behind the program.)
A LOOK AT EASTER WEEK
I know, I know. I’m 25. Definitely not in the target audience of Adventures in Odyssey anymore. And while I technically don’t need an Imagination Station to tell me the events leading up to Christ’s death and resurrection, I’d still like to see it all in detail.Because of His great love for us, we are free. Click To Tweet
Have you ever sat down and thought about what it was like to witness Easter Week (Passover, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection) first hand? I mean, we have first hand accounts of it in the Bible (hence why we don’t need an Imagination Station). But, I’m talking what it must have been like to be there. Really be there. To mourn His death. To be surprised and overwhelmed at the empty tomb. And to rejoice in His resurrecting power.
What must it have been like to be there when Jesus pardoned the thief? Did the thief know what had just happened to him? Could he have imagined right then just how sweet Heaven would be for him?
I wonder what it would be like to share the disbelief with Mary and Martha when they saw the angel and discovered an empty tomb. I bet the looks on their faces said it all.
How fast where Peter and the Beloved Disciple’s hearts beating when they raced to the empty tomb? Was one a faster runner than the other? Were they speechless and breathless?
What did the oils that Mary anointed Jesus with smell like? What color was her hair? Was it straight or curly? Did it tickle Jesus when she washed His feet with her hair? Did He giggle?
How many of Jesus’s Kingdom worried that Jesus’s death was the end, plain and simple? Did they toss and turn during the night wondering if Jesus would be true to His word? Did they any of them stress clean the entire house because the anticipation was too much?
THE RISEN HOPE
Here’s a not-so-secret secret about me: I’m a worrier. If there was an Olympic sport for worrying, I would win. If something major is going on in my life or the life of someone I care about, there’s a guarantee that I’ll lose sleep over worrying about it.
Worry a little. Pray a little. Roll over. Attempt to sleep. And repeat.
It’s easy to read the Bible some 2000 years later and think, “Why didn’t the disciples and the others fully trust Jesus? He’s always been true to His word. Every time!”
If they truly believed His word that He would rise again, Mary and Martha wouldn’t have been taking oils to His borrowed tomb. Peter and the Beloved Disciple probably wouldn’t have ran so fast to the tomb in shock.
Friend, I’d like to believe I wouldn’t have been worrying about Jesus’s resurrection. I like to think I would have been patiently waiting for the days to pass and for Jesus to rise up in victory. But, let’s face it. I would’ve been right there with Mary, Martha, and the others. Worried about the future. Hopeful in the promise, but nervously waiting. Expecting a miracle, but fearing the worst.
And I would’ve been overcome with as much joy, excitement, and gratitude as they were when He rose on the third day.
Oh, how faithful is He that promised eternal life!
My redeemer lives
Friend, I don’t need an Imagination Station. I know my Redeemer lives and I don’t have to worry about Jesus not coming through on His promises.
Because, He does. Every. Single. Time. Even when things look impossible, like when Jesus died and was put in a tomb. He proved to us that He can do anything well over 2,000 years ago when He willingly took your sins and mine to the cross and died. And then rose again.
Sure, an Imagination Station would be nice. And yes, I do still wanna know all the details. But, the only detail that truly matters is this: because of His great love for us, we are free.
And free, indeed.
Thoughts?