In his book, There I Go Again, Steven Moseley tells about Anna Pavlova, who was a Russian ballet superstar of the early 1900s. Ms. Pavlova had been celebrated as the greatest ballerina of all time. Her most memorable performance, however, took place after her death.

Anna was to play the role she made famous, the Dying Swan, at the Apollo Theatre in London. Tragically, she succumbed to pneumonia and died two days before the event.

Still, on the appointed night, a crowd of her fans packed the Apollo Theatre. The orchestra began playing, the curtain rose, a spotlight flashed through the dark, and the entire audience rose to its feet. They all stood gazing at a pool of light wandering around the stage, accompanied by the orchestral theme. As the light danced and the orchestra played, they remembered Anna Pavlova. In their hearts they could see her on stage, dressed in white with flashing dark eyes. And when the music stopped at last, they gave the departed Anna a thunderous ovation that echoed on and on in the night.

An empty stage with only a spotlight, but in their hearts she was alive.

For some, this is the experience of Easter. The Lord was crucified, he died as all of us will one day die, and he was laid in a borrowed tomb, but in the hearts of his disciples he lives forever. An empty stage, but not an empty tomb.

Which is it? Are we immortal because there are those who remember and cherish the fact that once we walked this "vale of tears" or are we immortal because Christ has once and forever battered down the gates of death? Empty stage or empty tomb?

---

Note: This is a true story but we think that the vacant spotlight stage is an old tradition in some countries for departed stars of the stage. So, the celebration itself may not be unique to Anna Pavlova. We searched to confirm this but found only one vague reference which caused to us to come to this conclusion.