Easter 2012

We had a beautiful and fun Easter weekend with Oma & Opa. They came to visit us and we have enjoyed them being here!

They flew in on Good Friday and we stayed home and relaxed for the evening except for a quick trip to get froyo before bed time. Yum!

Saturday we dyed a few eggs and then spent the rest of the day at the zoo. Such a nice day and the kids loved going with Oma and Opa. Saturday evening Hubby and I {and Itty Bitty!} got out for a little bit to see a movie while the big 'littles' stayed home and played.

Sunday we celebrated the Resurrection of Jesus Christ by going to Easter service and then came home and had a yummy dinner of ham and fixings - a la Hubby. I seriously have it made!


After Little Dude woke from his nap we had an egg hunt out side and played with bubbles. And we ended the day with a play at the park!

Such a great weekend to realize how blessed I am and to be grateful and so thankful for all my Jesus did for me.

How was your Easter?!

Devotion

Devotion by Hillsong

I've been running, trying to be one who sees
I've been working, this salvation out on my knees
There is nothing better than knowing
We are redeemed
I'm believing, trusting in creative hands,
I am praying for our world to bow to your plan
And this one thought is unmistakable
To take up my cross and follow You Lord

When You stand, the tall tress and mountains bow
When You speak, the fiercest of oceans is still
And I see the sinner seek devotion
The lost become chosen, and I fall to my knees

I'm forgiven by a Savior who did not deserve death
He was blameless and I was lost in shamefulness
Undelivered, but it doesn't seem right
Unless I keep my eyes focues on the Savior who gave His life
In the middle of a world that denies it believes
It is breaking apart at the very seams
There is one thing to be alive for
And it's to take up my cross and follow You Lord

When You stand, the tall trees and mountains bow
When You speak, the fiercest of oceans is still
And I see the sinner seek devotion
The lost become chosen, and I fall to my knees

I will take up my cross and follow Lord where You lead me
And I will take up my cross and follow wherever you go

When You stand, the tall trees and mountains bow
When You speak, the fiercest of oceans are still
And I see the sinner seek devotion
The lost become chosen, and I fall to my knees



Happy Easter, everyone!

But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said." Matthew 28:5-6

Easter: and what it has come to mean to me.

"But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

When they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.

Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?

He is not here, but is risen!" Luke 24:2 - 6

I think Easter is my favorite 'holiday.'

It hasn't always been. Not even after giving my life to Jesus and the holiday took on a new meaning.

But this year I have found it to be a truly joyful and enjoyable occasion.

This also hasn't been the case in the past.

The holiday acknowledging the death of my Savior and the events surrounding His death have brought about feelings of guilt, shame and even doubt and disbelief. Not given to me by the Lord, of course, as not one of these are a part of God's character and would not put them on me.

But I struggled with processing the act of love that was the death of Jesus on the cross {for whosoever,


and you are a whosoever, by the way} because I just couldn't even make sense of it. How could the event


 of this man being beaten so badly that he was no longer recognizable {his arms were tied up and he was 


whipped with a 'cat of nine tails' 39 times and flesh was actually ripped off of his body with every whip}, He was 


mocked {not a single person spoke up for him or pleaded his case, the loneliness and hopelessness that any one of 


would feel in that situation is unbearable alone}, spat in his face {the out right disgrace is hard to even imagine}, 


forced to physically carry his death sentence {the cross itself, that is, and this is after his body was nearly ripped to


 shreds, bone and flesh}, and then actually nailed to the cross {have you ever missed a nail head with your hammer 


and accidentally hit your finger? Or how about a paper cut, anyone else cried from a paper cut? and he had a NAIL driven through his skin, muscle tissue and then hung there by those piercings alone.}?

And He never once resisted or protested.

And I think to myself, All that he went through, and he didn't deserve it. But I do. How am I not supposed to feel guilty and shameful? 

I finally realize why,

I have always stopped the story at His death.

Yes, Jesus died. He died a horrible, unthinkable, unfathomable death. There are two things that have changed the way I think about Easter this year, and I hope every year to come...

1. Jesus isn't dead anymore, HE IS ALIVE! He rose from the dead and He is alive today!!! {This is the celebration!}

2. No, He didn't deserve it. I deserve it. BUT He did it anyway, not to make me feel guilty, not to shame me. He died on the cross and rose from the dead to give me eternal life. Nothing else in the whole world could give me that opportunity. Not being a good person, not going to church, not memorizing the bible, not donating to charity, not helping the homeless, not doing my best to be a good person, not doing the 'right thing', not even believing in God. NONE of these things will get me to heaven. Jesus' death on the cross is the ONLY way that I could live eternally in heaven when I leave this earth.

So because of this I have decided that for me Jesus is not only the reason for the Christmas season. 
He isn't even the reason just for the Easter season. Jesus is the reason. {emphasis on the period}

And He died on the cross and He rose again so that YOU could be forgiven of all your sins and live eternally. Will you accept this gift and make this holiday a celebration as well?

I pray you and your family are richly blessed in God's grace, Jesus Christ, on this Easter holiday. And everyday there after.

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