How Is Easter Real To You?

I found this post that I previously wrote about Easter. It is just as true today, as the day that I first wrote it. I needed to read it again…..maybe you will too?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live.”    John 11:25

How many of us have stood over a casket, looking down at one we loved?

Tears leaking down our cheeks…already missing the one that is gone.

The body so still. The breath has ceased. The lids now closed.

Burial. In the ground. Dirt covered.

And we weep.

And yet…

Jesus‘ words ring out in the darkness. The darkness of hopelessness. The darkness of fear. The darkness of death.

I am the resurrection and the life.  Alive again. Living. Breathing. In glory.

Jesus saith unto him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”  John 14:6

He who believes in me, though he dies,

yet shall he live. Shall live. With Him. Forever. Real. Oh, so real.

No more heart hurt, no more rampant cancer, no more diseased body, no more accidents, no more shallow breathing, no more depression, no more pain, no more poor vision, no more sickness…

No more.

Believe in Me, Jesus whispers to our souls.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him, shall have everlasting life. John 3:16

Jesus says,

I have conquered death. I have taken your place.

It is finished. 

Words that echo through the ages.

How is Easter real to you? Not only on a Sunday in Spring…but, all year long?

Standing In His Shadow

In the days leading up to Easter, I am thinking about Jesus. Thousands of years ago, at a time not so unlike the one we live in now, where people are busy, hurried and harried. Jesus changed everything….for all eternity. Yes, we celebrate Christmas, and it is wonderful in its own right…..when the God of the universe, God of all creation, came into this broken and sin cursed world, that was desperate in their need for Him. Oh, but Easter, Easter is a celebration of joy mixed with pain. We celebrate that Jesus did what only He could do….bridge the chasm that exists between us, and God the Father. Burdened under the dirt of our own sin, we are (were) unable to stand before a Holy and Righteous God. For those of us that have accepted Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, as our Savior…..we can be called children of God. When our Father now looks at us, He no longer sees the darkness of our sin, but the radiance of His Son’s glory. We stand in the shadow of our Lord, Jesus.

He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:11-13 

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. 1 John 3:1 

I went back through my blog archives and found this post that I had written a couple of years ago. Maybe you are like me and need to read it, and be reminded, again.

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Are You Still Living In Friday?

We call it “Good Friday”.

Good in the midst of the awful.

That Friday so many years ago….

the day that Jesus’ followers were heart broken.

They felt abandoned. Alone. Confused by all that had happened.

It was Friday……..

but, Sunday was coming!

Are You Living In Friday?

The most holy, pivotal celebration, to the life of a Christian….Easter.

On that Friday Jesus hung on a rugged, Roman cross

The Savior between two common thieves

He was mocked and insulted

The clouds darkened…

He asked His Father

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

The day was full of anguish

and pain.

He cried out

“It is finished!”

The curtain in the temple tore from top to bottom.

The earth shook.

Then He died.

That day was…. Sad. Hopeless. Bleak.

Jesus’ followers did not understand. They were confused. They were grieving. They were hurting.

Wondering.

What did this mean?

What was the purpose?

Don’t so many of us live in “the Friday” of our lives?  Scared. Wondering. Confused.

How is God going to work things out in our lives?

We can’t see it.

We don’t get it.

We won’t live through it.

What is the purpose?

But Jesus did not stay in the grave.

He conquered death.

He rose again.

He appeared too many.

The glorious resurrection day changed everything.

EVERYTHING.

For all time.

FOR US

The followers had…..Hope. Joy. Peace.

Death had been conquered by the only ONE who was capable.

He took our place. He sacrificed. His blood was spilled.

And He came out of that tomb!

Jesus never left us in the darkness of the crucifixion.

Because He lives, we are brought into the

glorious resurrection morning!

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”  John 11:25 NIV

Are You Still Living In Friday?

We call it “Good Friday”.

Good in the midst of the awful.

That Friday so many years ago….

the day that Jesus’ followers were heart broken.

They felt abandoned. Alone. Confused by all that had happened.

It was Friday……..

but, Sunday was coming!

Are You Living In Friday?

The most holy, pivotal celebration, to the life of a Christian….Easter.

On that Friday Jesus hung on a rugged, Roman cross

The Savior between two common thieves

He was mocked and insulted

The clouds darkened…

He asked His Father

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

The day was full of anguish

and pain.

He cried out

“It is finished!”

The curtain in the temple tore from top to bottom.

The earth shook.

Then He died.

That day was…. Sad. Hopeless. Bleak.

Jesus’ followers did not understand. They were confused. They were grieving. They were hurting.

Wondering.

What did this mean?

What was the purpose?

Don’t so many of us live in “the Friday” of our lives?  Scared. Wondering. Confused.

How is God going to work things out in our lives?

We can’t see it.

We don’t get it.

We won’t live through it.

What is the purpose?

But Jesus did not stay in the grave.

He conquered death.

He rose again.

He appeared too many.

The glorious resurrection day changed everything.

EVERYTHING.

For all time.

FOR US

The followers had…..Hope. Joy. Peace.

Death had been conquered by the only ONE who was capable.

He took our place. He sacrificed. His blood was spilled.

And He came out of that tomb!

Jesus never left us in the darkness of the crucifixion.

Because He lives, we are brought into the

glorious resurrection morning!

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”  John 11:25 NIV

How Is Easter Real To You?

I found this post that I previously wrote about Easter. It is just as true today, as the day that I first wrote it.

Meet us over at White Space, with Bonnie, to blog about Easter and what it means to you.

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“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live.”  John 11:25

How many of us have stood over a casket, looking down at one we loved?

Tears leaking down our cheeks…already missing the one that is gone.

The body so still. The breath has ceased. The lids now closed.

Burial. In the ground. Dirt covered.

And we weep.

And yet…

Jesus‘ words ring out in the darkness. The darkness of hopelessness. The darkness of fear. The darkness of death.

I am the resurrection.

and the life.  Alive again. Living. Breathing. In glory.

Jesus saith unto him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

He who believes in me, though he dies,

yet shall he live. Shall live. With Him. Forever. Real. Oh, so real.

No more heart hurt, no more rampant cancer, no more diseased body, no more accidents, no more shallow breathing, no more depression, no more pain, no more poor vision, no more sickness…

No more.

Believe in Me, Jesus whispers to our souls.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoeverbelieves in Him, shall have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Jesus says,

I have conquered death. I have taken your place.

It is finished. Words that echo through the ages.

How is Easter real to you? Not only on a Sunday in April…but, all year long?

The Day That Changed The World

Looking towards Easter…..the holiest of days.

The day of resurrection. The day that Jesus overcame.

The day that changed the world. Forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sin Sickness

Let’s face it.

For all the beauty that is in this world…

every gorgeous sunrise, every mountain peak, each newborn baby…

all those things that bring fleeting, tenuous, joy…

There is also pain.

This world spins crazy on its axis, and sometimes the spinning can make us sick.

Sick with worry, sick with sorrow, sick to death.

This is how the world was then, too.

When Christ came.

Sin sickness since the day the stench of it permeated the earth.

When the deceiver asked the woman and man to defy.

And their “yes”, bit hard into sin.

And ever since, mankind has known full well what sin feels like.

Roman soldiers, people crying, “Crucify Him!”, a governor who wanted no part of it.

Heavy wooden cross beam, splintered wood, and blood.

The sin of the world on His shoulders, separation from His Father……

and Jesus tasted darkness that day.

The bitterness of a world gone bad.

His perfect sacrifice, for a world that knew Him not.

Killed. Buried. Left in a dark and silent tomb.

Sin mocked. The deceiver lied. The world waited.

The disciples questioned, the women cried. The world waited.

On the third day, the tomb was empty.

Jesus was not there. Death could not keep Him. The tomb could not hold Him.

He is alive! He stands victorious.

We can face this world on days that are hard and uncertain

Because our Savior lives!

 

11 Now Mary (Magdalene) stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.      —John 20 NIV

Sin Sickness

(Photo credit: callmetim)

Let’s face it.

For all the beauty that is in this world…

every gorgeous sunrise, every mountain peak, each newborn baby…

all those things that bring fleeting, tenuous, joy…

There is also pain.

This world spins crazy on its axis, and sometimes the spinning can make us sick.

Sick with worry, sick with sorrow, sick to death.

This is how the world was then, too.

When Christ came.

Sin sickness since the day the stench of it permeated the earth.

When the deceiver asked the woman and man to defy.

And their “yes”, bit hard into sin.

And ever since, mankind has known full well what sin feels like.

Roman soldiers, people crying, “Crucify Him!”, a governor who wanted no part of it.

Heavy wooden cross beam, splintered wood, and blood.

The sin of the world on His shoulders, separation from His Father……

and Jesus tasted darkness that day.

The bitterness of a world gone bad.

His perfect sacrifice, for a world that knew Him not.

Killed. Buried. Left in a dark and silent tomb.

Sin mocked. The deceiver lied. The world waited.

The disciples questioned, the women cried. The world waited.

On the third day, the tomb was empty.

Jesus was not there. Death could not keep Him. The tomb could not hold Him.

He is alive! He stands victorious.

We can face this world on days that are hard and uncertain

.Because our Savior lives!

¹¹ Now Mary (Magdalene) stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb ¹² and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. ¹³ They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” ¹⁴ At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.¹⁵ He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.”She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).¹⁷ Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.      —John 20 NIV

Related articles

• The Tomb is Really Empty Now (bongodogblog.com)
• Thoughts on the Cross and Empty Tomb (stevecullum.com)
• The Tomb is Empty! (dianarasmussen.com)
• Emerging from the Tomb (gracefullyunraveled.com)

Looking Toward Easter

The Crosses on Good Friday (Photo credit: 50%ChanceofRain)

It’s not about the bunny, it’s about the Lamb.

Christmas is wonderful, but Easter is the real reason that Christ came.

The Son of God was the perfect, blameless lamb.

It was the cross that formed the bridge. It was His blood that cleansed.

It was His resurrection that brought life.

Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

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Today I am thankful for:

* Springtime snow

* safe travel for my husband

* a phone call and husband’s voice

* sleeping in

* lots of leftovers in the fridge

* quiet stillness

* laughter

* kids getting along

* good grades

* taking a break

* orange juice that I don’t often get to have…

* Jesus, my Savior

* God’s perfect Lamb

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• on hopes and dreams… (missiome.wordpress.com)

I Know I’ll Be Home

Today, at A Holy Experience, we are discussing resurrection.

Resurrection. A powerful word. I spoke about it a lot in the weeks leading up to Easter. I understand that resurrection. Jesus, alive, no longer in the tomb! This morning I looked up the word, and I came across these definitions:  resurgence, revival.

I looked at the word, revival. How am I part of that word? What kinds of things can I do, to be revived? I’ll be honest. There are a lot of times that I know I need some revival. Life can be dry. Withered. Needing refreshment.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about Heaven. I used to think about it a lot after my first husband died. Heaven became not just a place, but a destination. The end of a journey. Home.  No, I was not anxious to see Heaven, in the sense that I wanted to die….but, I believe it is natural to think about when you lose someone you love.

Presently, I’ve been thinking on these verses, found in the book of John.

 ¹ “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴You know the way to the place where I am going.”

 ⁵Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

 ⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”  John, Chapter 14  NIV

Because He lives, and because I know the truth of John 14:6, I will live too.

I think on Christ’s words.  Don’t be troubled. I’ve gone ahead. I’m preparing a place for you. You will be with me.

Heaven is real.

And this is how my mind works……. I think on the words,”preparing a place”. I know that I try to prepare if people are coming to visit. Fresh sheets on the bed, cleaning the house, special meals prepared….. I want the visitors to feel at home. I think about what Jesus meant when he said he was preparing a place. I know there are Biblical scholars, much more intelligent than I, that probably could speak to this, but even they don’t know for sure. Not really.

I know my family members. I know what their favorite meals consist of, I know the shows they like to watch, the style of clothes they wear, what decorating style they are drawn to, even what flavor of toothpaste they prefer. I know what makes home, home for them.  As Christ’s child, His redeemed, He knows me intimately. He is preparing a place just for me, and if you are also His child, then He is preparing a place just for you, too. A place where you will feel revived, new, and wanted.

I laugh to myself. For as long as I can remember, when shopping, I’ve always wanted to touch everything. The silkiness of the drapes, the plush feel of the couch pillows, the softness of the sheets. The warmth of a fuzzy blanket. God made me very aesthetic. I am drawn to detail and how things make me feel.  When I take pictures of sunsets, the sky ablaze with vibrant color, I feel peace. When I sit on my front porch on a lazy summer afternoon, watching the llamas across the road, I feel content. When I hear the crunch of the gravels on the driveway…I know I’m home.

Don’t I know, in my spirit, that Jesus will have my place prepared? He knows me. And won’t my spirit be revived as I enter my new home? Seeing Him, who makes all things new.

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He Is Risen!

Celebrating the resurrection of my Lord and Savior.

Death could not keep Him, and the tomb could not hold Him. He is alive!

It is because of His resurrection that I have hope for today. For tomorrow. For always.

Luke 24:1-12

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened that while they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling apparel; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? “He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” And they remembered His words, and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. And these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them. But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at that which had happened.

 

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Because He Lives…

The day was shrouded in darkness. People pressed in.

The stench of sin flowed through the crowd. “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”

He did not run from them. Instead, He embraced them.

He loved what was unlovable.

He took their sin on Himself. He suffered for them…

and many did not even care.

They did not understand His sacrifice or the cross He was to bear.

Dying there, that day, covered in sin…God turned away.

Turned from His beloved Son because He could not look at Him.

God is loving…but, also just. The price had to be paid…atonement a must.

“Father forgive them! They know not what they do!”

Jesus suffered physically that day, in ways we may never know.

But, much worse, the emotional pain of being alone

and taking our guilt and shame.

He bore this burden to Calvary. We are the ones to blame.

That splintered, rugged cross made a bridge that day,between God and me.

It’s because of Christ and His sacrifice that I have been set free.

The story does not end there. It is not over.

Jesus did not stay in that borrowed grave,

He lives today…He lives to save!

Jesus, holy, perfect, and blameless…on that dark day, took MY sin, MY shame, MY guilt. He suffered both physical and emotional torment that day. For me. For you. He could have run. He could have called an army of angels to rescue Him. He could have killed the Roman soldiers with just a word from His mouth, but He did not. He bore the sin of humanity all the way to the cross. God, the Father, because He is both Holy and Just, required a perfect sacrifice. One who was (is) blameless. Jesus is that perfect and blameless one. He took my place, so that now when God looks at me….He sees, not my darkness of sin, but the reflection of His beloved Son.

As a believer, and follower of Jesus Christ, I celebrate this Easter Sunday. I celebrate, not because my Savior died, but because He lives!  I serve a risen Savior. The grave could not hold Him. Death could not conquer Him. “Because He lives…I can face tomorrow.”   Amen.

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