Easter
Easter is almost here! I love watching all the kids run around and race to get eggs. Most eggs have candy, but we have a few every year that have money. I also love coloring the eggs and seeing all the creative things the kids come up with. The one thing that is always challenging is to get all of my children to dress up. I don’t ask much but I prefer no gym shorts and T-Shirts. I try to remind them that we are dressing up for Jesus. Also, my mama heart loves to take a few photos and Easter can be such a great time to do that. My husband and I have learned if we start preparing their minds early for unusual asks, like dressing up, then they tend to have more joyful hearts. Do you have any Easter traditions? I would enjoy hearing.
Despite all the chaos that can come with Easter, the excitement we have celebrating the festivities of Easter should be cultivated from the story of the resurrection of Jesus. The truth is that Jesus died for our sins and 3 days later rose again. Jesus conquered death! This is why we celebrate Easter, to represent the fact that Jesus has risen! Can you imagine the shock and excitement that Mary Magdalene had when the stone was rolled away and the body was not there? You see at first, Mary and the disciples thought someone had taken Jesus’s body. She did not realize that he had risen. She even ran to get the other disciples and they also did not realize that Jesus had risen. It was not until after the disciples left and Mary wept outside the tomb that 2 angels appear to her. Let’s look in Matthew 28: 5-7 “But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”
Similarly, this story is accounted for in John 20: 13-16, “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.’ At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 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.’ Jesus said the her, ‘Mary.’ She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means ‘Teacher’).” Can you imagine that moment? She must have felt so full of joy that her heart almost exploded. Two different accounts above and there is also an account in Mark that all say the same things!
I wish that I always carried this type of enthusiasm and passion about the gospel, but the truth is my flame sometimes grows dim. I become comfortable at where I am and don’t want to be bothered by stepping out to reach others. Rather than go outside my comfort zone I want to hold on to Jesus. But if we look at John 20: 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.’” So, there it is, go and tell!!! Don’t keep Jesus to yourself. Here is Mary, the mother of James, who just realized that her son, Jesus, was no longer dead! Rather than allowing her to cling to him and spend time with her, he’s asking her to leave him? I know my heart would question this. I would want to stay right there, but Mary obeys and runs to tell the disciples. What a great example for us to remember. After all that the Lord has done for us, are we obeying when He tells us to do something? Don’t hold back. Tell others how much God loves them.
Lord we love you. In the midst of what can be a very busy week, help us to pause and remember the reason why we celebrate Easter. Create in us a spirit that desperately wants to follow and obey you. Remove any selfish desires we have. We want to be more like you. In Your name we pray, Amen.