Easter

I think you've all figured out by now that I love holidays in general.  I love the traditions, the time with family, and what they each represent to me.  Easter is probably the holiday that stirs the most emotion in me.  My son has commented on how it's such a happy and sad holiday all at the same time.  This time of year I 'm more likely to tear up during church and more likely to shout "Amen!".  

Last Sunday, we remembered Palm Sunday when Jesus entered Jerusalem to the cries of "Hosanna!" as the people expected Him to become their political deliverer.  They didn't understand that He was much more than that.  By Friday of the same week, He would be arrested and would hear the cries of "Crucify Him!"  

If you've never looked into the pathology of what crucifixion was like, take a moment to do a little research into it.  We're so far removed from that form of execution that we cannot possibly comprehend how horrible it was.  Our artwork has cleaned it up and sanitized it.  It was brutal, grotesque, violent, tortuous, excruciating.  In fact, I read somewhere that the word "excruciating" came from the word "crucify" because the pain was so great that they didn't have a word strong enough to express just how painful it was.  As we head towards Good Friday, just thinking about it is enough to bring me to tears.  To think that Jesus, God's Son, the Creator, the King of kings, was willing to go through that pain for me.  Worse than the pain, He felt the separation from God for the first time and that was the most agonizing part of the sacrifice He made.

Hope seemed to be gone.  After all, how can a dead man deliver anyone?  They didn't realize that the enemy was stronger, more deadly, more powerful than Rome.  He hadn't come to save Israel from Rome.  He had come to save the world from sin and death!  He defeated them both on Sunday when He rose from the dead!  

I know that to some it seems like a fairy tale - a dead man coming back to life.  Historians have backed up that the tomb was empty.  If the disciples had taken the body and were telling a lie, then they went to great lengths to protect that lie, because they gave their lives in brutal ways and never renounced their story.  I believe that they truly saw Jesus with their own eyes after His resurrection.  

Here's the bad news:  We're all sinners.  We all do wrong things.  Whether we whitewash it by calling it "mistakes" or "errors", the fact remains that each one of us has done something wrong.  We've lied or cheated or disobeyed our parents or broken traffic laws.  (Romans 3:23)  More bad news is that the penalty of sin is death.  What we earn with our sins is separation from God forever.  Without God there is no good, no light, no comfort, no hope, no love, no peace, etc.  (Romans 6:23, 2 Thessalonians 1:9)

Here's the good news:  The Philippian jailer asked Paul what he had to do to be saved.  The answer?  Believe.  "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31)  It's not from being baptized, joining a church, giving money or hoping our good outweighs our bad.  It's simply believing.  It's "by faith through grace" that we are saved and not works. (Ephesians 2:8-9)  It's so easy and so hard.  We so want to be able to DO something, but all we have to do is confess and believe that Jesus is Lord. (Romans 10:9)

My prayer is that if you've never done this, that this Easter season, you will put your trust in Jesus.  I've never regretted following Jesus.  He's been my comfort, support and guide and there have been times that all I can do is cling to Him.  Happy Easter!  He is risen indeed!

For I know that my Redeemer lives,
    and at the last he will stand upon the earth. Job 19:25