Roll The Stone Away At 3 AM…
It was Easter 2006 and we decided we would roll the stone away early Easter morning. The tomb is part of our Christmas decoration. We put everything away after Christmas. We leave the angels and the cross. Over the tomb is an angel and it says, “He is Risen.” We also put a purple cloth on the cross. The cross is turned on around 3:30 on Good Friday afternoon, and we leave it on until Monday morning. The cross is fixed to the house, and the tomb is several feet in front of it with no lights on it.
That year we had high winds for three days–Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. My husband, Winston, and I tried to put the forty yards of cloth on the cross. As I passed the cloth to him on the ladder the wind was so strong it would get between the folds and almost knock him off. It was scary.
We tried again the next night–still too windy. The next day was Thursday. We had to get this done, but the wind was still very strong. That day at work my pastor came by my desk and I asked him to pray to the Maker of the wind and tell Him we only need five minutes. He said, “What time are you going out to try it?” I said, “It doesn’t matter. You pray now and it will be good for whenever we try it.”
We got home from work about 3:30. The wind was still whipping around the house on all four sides. We tried but we couldn’t do it. Winston said, “Let’s watch the news and we will try it again after that.” We were really praying because time was running out.
At 7PM the wind was still blowing, but we took the cloth and tried again. When we went around the corner of the house where the cross is not one thing was moving–nothing. Yet, we could hear the wind all around us. We could see the trees blowing back and forth on the neighbor’s lawn beside us. We had the cross done in less than five minutes.
Winston was taking the ladder down and I was picking up some twigs that had blown off the trees. A fine, fine mist started to fall. It only fell on the lawn of the house and on our faces, yet it didn’t run down. Just a quiet, peaceful mist.
I told my husband, “I’m reminded of the scripture in the Bible that says take off your shoes for you are standing on Holy Ground.” Little did we know what God had in store for us that Easter.
When we were thinking about rolling the stone away I went to bed one night and God woke me at 2AM. He said, “Roll the stone away at 3 AM.” I had people ask me, “Why 3AM?” I tell them, “ I don’t know why, but that’s the time we are going to do it.” When I told Winston he didn’t question it.
Early Easter morning at 3AM that stone was rolled away. Winston took some pictures. When the pictures were developed we were surprised. In one of the pictures there was a glow in the top half of the door of the tomb where normally there was only black. I gave away five sets of the pictures, which I had never done before. At the time I didn’t know why. Now I do.
One weekend we were going to Bangor and my sister-in-law wanted to see the pictures. Winston and his sister, Judy, went to the store and while they were gone I got my pictures out to show her. I sat there looking at the photo album. The album had sat on the coffee table at home, and I would go sit on the couch and look at the pictures again and again. I don’t know why I was so drawn to those pictures.
Now, it was three weeks after the pictures were developed and I was looking at them again. Suddenly, there was a flutter in the paper. I pulled these pictures up closer to my face. In that instant I saw a silhouette of the Savior in the doorway of the tomb. I was so excited! It looked like Jesus was about to step out.
I called the five people I had given copies of the pictures. Guess what–the Savior was in every copy. We never saw it before that day.
Let me explain about the tomb. It’s just a false front. The door is just a piece of plywood painted black. There are no lights attached to it. There was no explanation for the light which was not visible that dark morning.
Jesus can put Himself anywhere at any time He wants. I really think if we had not rolled the stone away at 3 AM, like He asked, none of this would have happened.
A minister from Presque Isle, Maine stopped by my desk at work and said, “I know where you live.” I asked, “How did you know it was my house?” “Because I saw the light in the tomb. I asked him what time he was there and he said 2 PM. I tried to tell him there was no light in the tomb. He started to walk away; then he came back and said, “I am telling you there was a light in the tomb.”
The next year we had an Easter Sunrise Service on our lawn by the cross and tomb at 3 AM. We were looking forward to having one in 2011.
The first year when we were planning what to do for our service I wanted to get some pictures printed of the Savior in the tomb. We went and had some copied at a local store. The next day (Saturday before Easter) I wanted to get ten more made just in case we didn’t have enough. We went back to the same store and made ten more. They were awful, we couldn’t see anything in the tomb.
I knew I had to ask for some help but I really didn’t want to ask. About that time a lady just appeared. I asked her if the fluid had been changed in that machine since the day before, and she said no. I showed her the picture and asked, “Can you see the Savior in the tomb?” She said, “I sure do.” She agreed the last ten pictures were awful. She said to Winston, “Let’s make ten more.” He did and they were perfect.
So, Winston asked her to put them in an envelope and mark it with how much we owe. I had gone just a step away and could hear them talking. The lady said, “No, you got them yesterday.” He said, “No, I just got them, and you were right here with us,” She said, “You go put them in your wife’s purse; you got them yesterday.” So, we left with the pictures.
On the way home Winston said, “She didn’t want us to pay for them, why?” I replied, “I just think it’s God’s way of telling us that we are doing what he wants us to do.”
Six months later I started getting this nagging in my head to call the store where we got the pictures. After about two weeks of this I said, “OK, Lord, what do I tell them–I got pictures copied that I never paid for?” I didn’t want to get the lady in trouble. Then, “OK, Lord, I am going to call; You best give me the right words to say.”
I called and asked for Photos. A woman answered and I said, “Six months ago I had pictures copied and the lady was very helpful, and I just wanted to thank her but I have never seen her since. She asked me to describe the lady. I said, “She was about thirty-five years old, weight about 130 and about 5′ 6″. She had blond hair with loose curls down to her shoulders.” She said, “She doesn’t work here, she never did work here. I asked if maybe she worked some other department and was just filling in for someone in Photos. She explained, “There are only three who work in that department: one man, myself, and another lady; and we both have short black hair.
Who was the photo lady? I believe she was an angel. I believe the secret to all of this was being faithful in rolling the stone away at 3 AM like the Lord asked! Why 3 AM? I don’t know.
Proverbs 3:6
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
