My younger children so much enjoyed me reading “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” to them that I have continued on to L. Frank Baum’s next book in the series, “The Marvelous Land of Oz.” In this book, we find a young boy, Tip, who was under the care of a mean woman with magical powers named Mombi. One day, he sought to frighten Mombi by making a life-sized man out of sticks with a pumpkin as its head. He decided to place “Jack Pumpkinhead” at a bend in the road, a little way from their house, so as to scare Mombi when she saw him.
When Mombi turned the bend in the road, she encountered the pumpkin-headed man. She was not scared, but felt tricked by Tip. So, she sought her revenge by using her newly acquired powder of life to bring the life-sized doll to life. “Surely this would scare Tip even more than a life-sized doll,” she thought! So, she applied the powder to the pumpkin-headed man, said a few magical words, and the pumpkin-headed man came to life! Upon discovering that that powder actually worked, Mombi danced around Jack pumpkinhead screaming with delight, “He lives! He lives! He lives!”
This is the great reality of Easter! “He lives! He lives! He lives!” (Luke 24:6). May we show the same excitement at the reality of our risen Lord!
Enjoying His Grace 