Easter is a very special day for me. It is the day God opened the eyes of my heart and showed me what it means to be a Christian.
Before that Easter Sunday I never really understood what the big deal about Easter was. Ok, we have the Easter Bunny that hides colored eggs and leaves chocolate in our baskets. I do love hard-boiled eggs and chocolate bunnies, but, come on, Easter isn't Christmas.
And what was all that stuff leading up to Easter? People with ashes on their foreheads, all that fish on Fridays, palms. Really, ashes on your forehead??? I love my red meat, so if you think I'm ever giving up meat on Fridays you have got to be kidding me!
Easter means spring. Pretty dresses, ham and potatoes for dinner, jump ropes and sidewalk chalk. Oh, and all those pretty pastel colors. Groundhogs may let us know how long winter is going to be, but Easter tells me spring is here! Oh...and Cadbury Eggs.
But on that specific Easter Sunday as I was sitting in church with my dad, something amazing happened to me. All of a sudden I was at the crucifixion, looking up at Jesus on the cross. We all have an image of that day in our heads but then I saw more. Jesus was pulling all the sin of the world for all time into himself. The sin of the past, the sin of the present, and the sin of the future was coming out of the people and going into Jesus. Jesus, pure and holy covered in the blackness of sin.
From the sixth hour to the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. Matthew 27:45
Once Jesus became sin a light started emanating from Jesus' heart, bright and pure. Intense, white-hot light started as a small point then exploded out of Jesus turning Jesus into Holy Light and reaching out from Jesus to the people, covering humans with the love, grace, and mercy of God. This is the ultimate gift from God, the secret of Christianity, the joy of living in God's love. Jesus took the deepest, darkest sin from us and purified us through his holiness.
"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Luke 24:5,6
My words leave much to be desired, there are no words to describe what I saw and felt that day. It was an awesome, amazing, life changing experience. Can you imagine being filled with all of the evil of the world, not just the evil at that moment, but the evil that would be committed throughout all time? Jesus had to be buried in that tomb, to take all that evil back where it belonged. Jesus did not stay with that evil...He buried our sins and then rose from the grave to cover us with His etermal LOVE and GRACE.
Thank you LORD above for sending Your Son, pure and holy, to take our sins as the ultimate sacrifice. Thank you, for giving Your children on earth a bridge to Your presence and holiness. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.
I would love to hear your testimonies, please share a special moment, a turning point, a time in your life that God intervened.
Easter Bunny picture by:
Image'>http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=4387">Image: debspoons / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Crucifixion picture by:
Image'>http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=440">Image: bela_kiefer / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
This is a perfect spot to post this! The other day I saw a church marquis that read 'We celebrate the resurrection 52 times a year'. I thought, "How awesome is that?". Almost immediately I thought of something even greater than that. As Christians we should celebrate the resurrection every moment of every day!! I believe that focusing our attention on the Risen Christ, instead of the crucified Christ, will empower us to be as dynamic as the 12 disciples were and as the apostle Paul was. I believe beyond the shadow of a doubt that the apostle Paul had an encounter w3ith the risen, glorified Christ on the road to Damascus and he was changed instantly and forever. Paul encourages us(somewhere, I don't know exactly where right now)as believers to embrace the living, resurrected Christ. This gives us the solid assurance that victory over sin and death has already been accomplished by the risen Son of God!!!! I believe that we shall be able to say and do as Peter did as recorded in Acts chapter 3 vss 4 - 6: "Silver and gold have I none, but I give you what I do have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Peter, the apostle Paul, and all the disciples knew the risen Jesus through the Holy Spirit. We serve a risen saviour HALLELUIA!!! Not a dead one. All true belivers have the same dynamics and power that Peter, Paul, and John had. But we just don't exercise it! Maybe we are afraid of that kind of power. There is POWER in the awesome name of the risen, glorified Jesus Christ. AMEN
ReplyDeleteGod's not dead, He's surely alive,
DeleteLiving on the inside, roaring like a lion!
God's not dead, He's surely alive,
Living on the inside, roaring like a lion,
roaring, roaring, roaring like a lion!!!!!
The Newsboys-God's Not Dead
Christ resurrected is the miracle and blessing of Christianity. Without the risen Christ, we have nothing. The sacrifice was amazing, awesome, beyond words but the resurrection is what we hang our hats on. If Jesus had died on the cross and not risen, He would be just like any other spiritual teacher. Our God is Great and raised His Son Jesus from the grave, freely giving us the gift of grace, redemption, eternal life!
Amen!
Right on, Heather!!!!! We sure do think alike!!!
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