Easter is the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ nearly 2,000 years ago. It is a celebration of rebirth, and it is a celebration of renewal.

Many millions will celebrate the most scared day in Christianity.

The Bible tells us that Jesus was tried for heresy, sentenced to death and crucified. Two days later, when the large stone covering Jesus’ tomb was moved, all that remained was the cloth in which the body had been wrapped.

A miracle had occurred, the miracle of Easter. Jesus had risen into the kingdom of Heaven after suffering and paying the ultimate price for our sins.

Churches in towns large and small will overflow this morning to celebrate Jesus’ rising, to acknowledge the miracle.

Our neighbors in Tallulah, Lake Providence and Eagle Lake who one year ago saw their worlds ripped apart by tornadoes will be there.

Neighbors in the Easthaven neighborhood of Clinton, devastated by a massive tornado 10 days ago, will be there. Many of the 700 children from Eastside Elementary School will be there to celebrate the miracle of Easter.

In Easthaven, where children on bicycles once roamed only weeks ago, heavy equipment has spent the past days lifting huge trees from defenseless houses. In the middle of Easthaven is Eastside Elementary, where 700 children were in school on the day the fierce winds stormed through. The unstoppable force ripped apart houses like twigs as it headed directly for the school.

Then something happened. The storm turned left, or right, or jumped, or who knows. Houses on the back side of the school — many empty because the children were in class — were destroyed.

Eastside Elementary School was left unscathed.

The miracle of Easter.