He is risen! Happy Easter everyone!
I hope everyone has a great day today with friends and family full of candy and eggs and celebration. At my house we just got done eating cinnamon rolls. Yum! And getting plastic eggs of candy out of our baskets but besides all of the awesomeness such as yummy candy and little trinkets and toys I hope that everyone keeps in mind why we celebrate this holiday. Because Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and three days later rose again. That is why we celebrate Easter. That is the only reason why I celebrate Easter.
Jesus came down and dwelt among men, fully man and fully God at once. He healed the sick, cured the blind and raised the dead on his time here on Earth. He made friends, disciples and preached to crowds upon crowds. Jesus came down to heal us and give us hope. To die for us. One night he was betrayed by Judas and sentenced to death by crucifixion by Pilate. He was mocked, beaten and humiliated for our sakes. The soldiers cast lot for his clothes, gave him a crown of thorns, lashed him and then made him carry the cross through town and up a hill. He suffered all of that for us. They put him up there, nailing his wrists and feet to the cross and after he uttered the words, "It is finished," they wanted to make sure he was dead so they jabbed a spear into his side.
That is the saddest and most touching story I know because whenever I hear the story of Jesus's death all I can think is, He did that for me. To save me and to bridge the gap between God and man.
But the story doesn't end there. It continues three days later and instead of recounting it in my own words I want to share a small passage of when Jesus came out of the tomb and revealed himself to Mary Magdalene (who has become one of my favorite woman of the Bible. I've become very interested in her story since yesterday during our church service because she may not seem like much but Mary has an incredible story). God gave her a great gift by letting her be the first to discover that Jesus had left the tomb and she was the first to see Jesus after his resurrection.
Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 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 are you looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me were you have put him, and I will get him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
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.'"
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them tht he had said these things to her.
John 20:11-18
I love how the instant Jesus said Mary's name she knew it was him. It shows me that they were good friends and that they knew each other well. It feels very... intimate, but in a way that only Jesus could be with his disciples and those that love him. But that is why I celebrate Easter. Because Jesus rose from the grave to ascend to his Father and our Father, to his God and our God.
Keep Mary Magdalene's story and Jesus's in mind today as you go Easter egg hunting and eat a special dinner with friends and family. I hope you all have a great day today and a great week ahead!
Jesus came down and dwelt among men, fully man and fully God at once. He healed the sick, cured the blind and raised the dead on his time here on Earth. He made friends, disciples and preached to crowds upon crowds. Jesus came down to heal us and give us hope. To die for us. One night he was betrayed by Judas and sentenced to death by crucifixion by Pilate. He was mocked, beaten and humiliated for our sakes. The soldiers cast lot for his clothes, gave him a crown of thorns, lashed him and then made him carry the cross through town and up a hill. He suffered all of that for us. They put him up there, nailing his wrists and feet to the cross and after he uttered the words, "It is finished," they wanted to make sure he was dead so they jabbed a spear into his side.
That is the saddest and most touching story I know because whenever I hear the story of Jesus's death all I can think is, He did that for me. To save me and to bridge the gap between God and man.
But the story doesn't end there. It continues three days later and instead of recounting it in my own words I want to share a small passage of when Jesus came out of the tomb and revealed himself to Mary Magdalene (who has become one of my favorite woman of the Bible. I've become very interested in her story since yesterday during our church service because she may not seem like much but Mary has an incredible story). God gave her a great gift by letting her be the first to discover that Jesus had left the tomb and she was the first to see Jesus after his resurrection.
Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 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 are you looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me were you have put him, and I will get him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
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.'"
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them tht he had said these things to her.
John 20:11-18
I love how the instant Jesus said Mary's name she knew it was him. It shows me that they were good friends and that they knew each other well. It feels very... intimate, but in a way that only Jesus could be with his disciples and those that love him. But that is why I celebrate Easter. Because Jesus rose from the grave to ascend to his Father and our Father, to his God and our God.
Keep Mary Magdalene's story and Jesus's in mind today as you go Easter egg hunting and eat a special dinner with friends and family. I hope you all have a great day today and a great week ahead!
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