Easter

Happy Resurrection!  I love Christmas, but I think Easter is my very favorite holiday.  Jesus coming is only part of the story.  It's a wonderful, joyous time, but I love Easter because it celebrates the reason He came.  I love the solemness of Good Friday.  I love the mixture of joy and sorrow.  If you've never done it, I encourage you to look up the details of a Roman crucifixion.  It's hard to stomach and difficult to imagine, but very eye opening.  Jesus was willing to go through the excruciating, humiliating agony of the cross - for ME!  That is absolutely amazing!  His blood was shed instead of my own.  He paid a price that I could never have paid and all because He loves me so very much.

And as awesome as Good Friday is, it would be worthless if Easter had never happened.  Jesus' resurrection gave us hope and showed that He triumphed over the grave so that we can, too.  Hallelujah!  I love this passage where Paul explains why the resurrection is so important for believers.

12 Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. 15 Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; 17 and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.

20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.  (I Corinthians 15:12-22)

I hope that you had a precious weekend of reflecting on Jesus sacrifice and celebrating His resurrection.  The picture at the top is me, my mom and my sister at the end of our choir's Easter musical.  It was a beautiful way to remember the events of that weekend so many years ago.  I pray that Easter is not just a yearly holiday for you, but that it is something to be celebrated every day.  He has risen!  He has risen indeed!