He is Risen

Like most children, I always thought that Easter was about getting an Easter basket, having Easter egg hunts, and getting all dolled up in a pretty dress. Now, the true reason for Easter becomes more precious to me each and every year.

It was so wonderful to go to church yesterday morning. The weekend was so busy working on the house. I really had to pray before-hand to ask the Lord to help me focus on Him and not let my mind wonder about all the things we had to do. As the service started I was then beyond thankful for the break away from work to spend a little time with the Savior in His house. Isn't so easy to loose focus on Jesus and what He has done for us? We get so busy and things around us become so much more important than the One who died for us.

"Because He Lives I can face tomorrow. Because He lives all fear is gone, and I know He holds the future and life is worth a living just because He lives" AMEN! When we sang this song yesterday I couldn't help but cry. A life with out Jesus is no life at all.

Pastor had a great message that truly touched my heart. One thing he said, that I never before was that in that time, the custom that servants did not speak to their masters unless spoken too. But at meal times, they still had means of communication. If the master wadded and threw his napkin down on his plate that meant he was finished. If he folded it, that meant he wasn't finished and he was coming back. After Jesus rose, He too left one piece of linen folded because He knew people would think someone stole His body. This was enough to convince John that He was risen. That folded linen communicated, He was coming back!

The story of Mary Magdalene is also so precious to me. This was a woman at one time was filled with demons, but Jesus rescued her (just like he saved me). She then became a DEVOTED follower. She was there at the cross. Then afterwards she went to the tomb. She became deeply troubled that Jesus' body was gone. She wanted to know where her Savior's body had been taken and then Jesus came to her to comfort her. Pastor said he thought this was because women are more emotional and more fragile. That folded linen was enough for John but not for Mary since women are more emotional creatures. This really warmed my heart because it just reminded me that Jesus truly does care about our hurts. He comes to us to comfort us in the middle of our heart aches.

Finally, each year at Easter as I read through the scriptures about His death and Resurrection I have at times found myself wishing that instead of taking the mocking at the cross, "Oh He can save others but He can not save Himself" that He would have put them in their place and called on His ten thousand angels. But, if He had done that......
It overwhelms me that it was truly His love for me that held Him there on that cross. Thank you Jesus for dying for me. Thank you for rising again because I take comfort in that while others are serving dead gods I am serving the true living God!