Most authorities agree that a missionary, Mr. Roberts, first introduced the lovely Bermuda Easter lily, which so many of us enjoy today. Many of the Easter lilies that symbolize the Resurrection in churches everywhere are Bermuda lilies.

Thousands and thousands of lily bulbs and stems are exported from Bermuda each year. They were first introduced to Bermuda about 1850 when Mr. Roberts, whose ministry coincides with that date, was returning home from Japan. The lily is a native of Japan–the Ryukyu Islands to be exact. Mr. Robert’s lily did very well when he transplanted it in Bermuda–the climate was perfect for its culture.

As the years went on, the missionary’s lily attracted flower lovers. In 1883, a New York hotel exhibited a cask of lilies with no less than 145 blooms on one stem. Some of the lilies took prizes at the horticulture exhibition in London that same year. Gen. Russell Hastings, a retired Civil War veteran, was the first to export the lilies to the United States, also, by Mrs. Thomas P. Sargent, who was described as an amateur gardener. In 1903, nearly 3 million bulbs were exported from Bermuda.

Now people everywhere enjoy the beauty of the missionary’s lily, admiring its loveliness, and appreciating its symbolism of the Risen Lord! I consider myself much less than an amateur gardener. I think professionals would say of my gardening skill, “he is just playing in the dirt!”

After each Easter Service we give the lilies away to someone that is homebound or in a nursing home. One year we somehow missed one, and it stayed in the church for several weeks. I got the bright idea I would take what was left and plant it outside by my office door. The ground was bare for close to a year, but during the week of Easter somehow those lilies show up in the yard. For the next few years they came up and surprised us. I never watered it, pruned it our breathed near it. Truthfully, I forgot it was there. Those lilies were a sign to me, after a long cold winter, that hope of something beautiful coming out of something barren was always possible. That is an important part of what Easter means to me.

In his last will and testament, George Washington clearly specified that he wished to be buried on the grounds of his beloved estate, Mount Vernon. When he died in December of 1799, his family carried out his wishes and his body was laid to rest in the only family plot. Less than two weeks after his death, Congress passed the following resolution: “Resolved, by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that a marble monument be erected by the United States, in the Capitol at the City of Washington, and that the family of George Washington be requested to permit his body to be deposited under it; and that the monument be so designated as to commemorate the great events of his military and political life.”

This was a difficult decision for Martha Washington. On the one hand, she wanted to honor her husband’s last wishes. But, she also recalled that throughout their marriage she had always shared him with the country. So, she reluctantly gave consent. The way was cleared for Congress to act. However, as construction on the Capital Building was still in progress, and the tomb could not be placed under the rotunda until its completion, there was no alternative but allow Washington’s body to remain at Mount Vernon.

The Capital was not finished until 1827 and five more years were to pass before Congress attempted to carry out the resolution of 1799. As Martha Washington had died in 1802, the members amended the original resolution on February 14, 1832, to provide that her remains might rest beside those of her husband.

It now became necessary for the lawmakers to petition the descendants of George and Martha to permit removal of both bodies from the plot at Mount Vernon. George Washington Parke Custis, a grandson of Martha Washington, readily gave his consent. However, the other remaining descendant, John Augustine Washington, adamantly refused, causing a stalemate and forcing Congress to drop the entire matter. To this day, fate and circumstances having willed it so, the Capitol Tomb is still unoccupied.

This reminds us of another “empty tomb.” On the first Easter Sunday almost 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ arose from the dead and “showed Himself alive after His passion by many infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3). The tomb of Joseph of Arimathea was indeed “a tomb without a body.” And that Empty Tomb still remains in Jerusalem as the enduring monument to the fact of Jesus Christ’s victory over Satan, sin and death!

At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, bugles sounded “cease firing across the battle lines of the First World War. Jubilation greeted the end of hostilities because many people thought it marked the end of all strife in the world. In the United States, the day became a national holiday when Americans pause to pay tribute to the quick and the dead who fought for freedom. Appropriately, France, where much of the war was waged, placed its Grave of the Unknown Soldier under the Arch of Triumph in Paris. … It commemorates the military victories of the French revolution and Napoleon’s troops.”

The Empty Tomb forever stands as the monument of Jesus Christ’s victory over Satan, sin and Ddeath. That no matter how dark our days, hope still lives on in our hearts.

A few days ago, a wonderful woman by the name of Karen Grimes went on to her reward. She worked for the City of Wheeling for 54 years, mainly as the administrative assistant to the police chief. I believe she served and worked for seven different police chiefs and 13 different city managers. I was blessed to work with her as a community leader for 32 years. She was always an angel to me. I pray now she has her wings.

God Bless & Happy Easter!

The Rev. Darrell W. Cummings is pastor of Bethlehem Apostolic Temple in Wheeling and Shiloh Apostolic Temple in Weirton.