Well, what is Easter all about??
What are your fondest memories growing up? I was raised in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church...and my memories are very vivid because
they were based on much tradition and heritage. It was a very important holiday and one not to be ignored.
My mother cooked for days. There was the traditional dinner of ham, kolbassi, a very special egg-rich bread called paska, an egg custard
mold, butter molded into a little lamb (usually done by me), nut and poppy seed rolls (kolachi) and many more treats. This was welcomed after
the lenten season we had just come through. Going to midnight mass (the night before Easter)...encircling the church at midnight three times..and so on...
Alot of memories and alot of great food and family get togethers.
But.....what is Easter???? Is it Easter bunnies?
or Easter egg hunts ?
Is it going to church once a year??
or is just
GREAT FOOD?
Let me tell you what Easter means to me...NO..let me tell you what God says it is.
A long time ago God sent His only Son Jesus to be born and grow up in this world . He left behind all of the glory and heaven and most of all
His loving Father. You see, God had a plan. When He planned this whole thing creating the world and all, He was looking for someone....
anyone...who would love and serve Him for all eternity. It started many years before with Adam and Eve. God gave them a perfect environment with
anything they could have ever wanted. All He asked of them was this "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the
garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest
thereof thou shalt surely die." Genesis 2:16 & 17
That was it. No big deal...Right? Well, we all know the end of the story...Now whether you say
it was Eve's fault or was it Adam's fault the bottom line is THEY DISOBEYED GOD'S COMMAND!!! "For the wages of sin is death!
BUT...(wait...I'll come to that)!!
I DID say that God had a plan. Well, that plan was for Someone....not just to be sent to take the place for those of us who had gone away from
God's perfect plan. But a perfect Sacrifice! The Sacrifice had to absolutely PERFECT no flaws just like when the high priests sacrificed lambs
they had to be without spot or blemish..
"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many." Hebrews 9:28a Who better than God's
perfect, sinless Son Jesus Christ the Annointed One.
"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition
from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot I Peter 1:18, 19.
And so it began...
"On a hill far away....stood an old rugged cross...the emblem of suffering and shame...."
That one horrible, monumental day when the Holy,
Precious Son of the Almighty would humble Himself before lowly man and limit the use of some of His divine privileges!!!!
For you......for me....
"Down the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem that day
The soldiers tried to clear the narrow street
But the crowd pressed in to see the Man condemned to die on Calvary
He was bleeding from a beating, there were stripes upon His back
and He wore a crown of thorns upon His head".
Right here and now go to this site to experience a bit of what this all entailed....very moving!!
Jesus did this for
YOU!
And as He hung there on that tree, humiliated before the people...the humanity that this Holy One put on....cried out...
"I THIRST"
"FATHER, FORGIVE THEM FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO"
"MY GOD...MY GOD.....WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME??"
And finally.....
"IT IS FINISHED"
God's perfect plan had been laid..
But wait.....it didn't end there??? If that was the end...then there is NO hope for you or me..
It was the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came very early to the grave.. She approached the tomb and there it was...
the stone was rolled away.. She ran and saw Peter and another disciple coming and she told them that the Lord had been taken.
Peter checked it out. "And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying, and then cometh Simon Peter following him,
and went into the tomb, and seeth the linen clothes lie. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the tomb, and he saw,
and believed." John 20:5,6,8
"And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I now that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for HE IS
RISEN, as he said, Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and behold,
he goeth before you into Galilee, there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy;
and did run to bring his disciples word." Matthew 28:5-8
Remember I told you "For the wages of sin is death.....(but this is the BEST part) But the gift of God is ETERNAL LIFE through Jesus Christ
our Lord." Romans 3:23
Well, that was His plan and you know what? It hasn't changed. Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?"
John 11:25,26. The question is???
DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?
First of all, you need to realize that you are a sinner. That means anything......any little thing at all that separates you from God is sin. It doesn't
have to be murder or stealing ."For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:10 And then you know what else?
The next step is so easy but we make it so hard.
You ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart. Ask Him to be your Savior and the Lord of your life. Ask Him to forgive you of those sins that
you commit and then ACCEPT what He has already done for you on Calvary.
See, it's that simple---toooo simple you say?? Hey, with God nothing is impossible. JUST TRUST HIM. That's all He asks.
And then have a ---
Now the party begins. He's come to give you an abundant life and a joy unspeakable and full of glory. HALLELUJAH!!
What a wonderful Savior!!!
He died for us all....everyone, everywhere, and all around the world.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that WHOSOEVER believeth in Him should NOT perish but have everlasting
life." John 3:16
So let's celebrate. Is there anything wrong with Easter bunnies, eggs, Easter baskets filled with candy?? It all depends where your heart
is. Or is it who is in your heart?
Rejoice...HAPPY EASTER!!!! Hallelujah What a Saviour! In Ukrainian, we would greet each other on Easter morning by saying "CHRIST IS
RISEN" and the reply would be "HE IS RISEN INDEED" Have a wonderful holiday celebration with your family.
Some very interesting sites to visit
CHRIST IS RISEN!! YES, HE IS RISEN INDEED!!
