What Easter Means to Me


 Good morning all.  It is close to Easter, which is my favorite time to celebrate.  

This Sunday is Palm Sunday when Christ made His triumphal entrance into Jerusalem.  Everyone was cheering, waving palm branches and yelling hallelujah.  Everyone was happy, even Jesus.  But He knew what was coming.  He knew they would all turn against Him. 

He knew the crowd would be swayed, that they would call for and demand His death.  He knew He would be tortured and killed most horribly. Yet, He still let them have this day to cheer and be happy with Him.

He went on to share the Passover meal with the disciples.  I'm sure they continued rejoicing since things had gone so well when they got to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus said that one of them would betray Him.  That must have been very confusing.  Was He speaking metaphorically, was He starting a parable?  Sometimes it was difficult to understand what was meant when He spoke. 

And then they knew.  He was taken away, convicted of false crimes, and crucified.  Devastation. Life was over as they knew it. 

I wonder what would we have done. Would we have trusted God because we knew He was working in the situation? It is sometimes easy for us to think that we would have been strong and not worried.  But I would have worried.  I am a worrier, though God is always working on my faith.  If I had been there, I would have done exactly as Peter did, denied Him, and then gone off to cry.

The next few days were so depressing for Christ's followers until Sunday when He rose from the dead and began appearing to them. Some people think that is a lie told by the disciples to allow them to continue their work.  I once heard a speaker say that if 11 men and the others with them, could make up a story and keep the secret, die horrible deaths for the story, and never confess it to anyone, that would be a miracle. 

People don't live and die for false or made-up tales. People don't go forth and preach, write letters and books, get thrown in prison, beheaded, and crucified for lies. That is why I celebrate Easter. 

Christ died on the cross for me, because I could never be good enough without Him. I will always sin. I will always fail, but Christ's death on the cross was the final blood sacrifice for the sins of all people.  

Then He rose from the dead, conquering death and hell, so that we might also rise again and live eternally with Him.  

Believe this truth, repent (turn away from) your sin, follow His teaching to the best of your human ability and you will live eternally with Christ. No more sorrow.  No more pain. 

Happy Easter!

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