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EASTER… What does that make you
think about? For many it is a time for eggs and a bunny, baskets,
hopefully spring weather. For others it is a time of having an extra
focus on church.
Depending on your age, your memories of past Easter’s might include
women wearing Easter bonnet’s, men having a new suit or tie, kids in
easter clothes. Church’s needing to set out extra chairs because of
the biggest crowd of the year.
I am 55, so I can remember some of those things. My earliest
memories of Easter included going to that kind of service, and that
being the only time we went to church. I remember a local Easter
pageant we went to that included an orchestra and loud symbol
crashes when the stone was rolled away from the tomb – I always
kinda got scared, but happy when Jesus was alive.
I would hear these words - Matthew 28:5–6, “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.” (ESV)
It wasn’t until 3rd grade that I began to understand it all. And
soon after I began my journey with Jesus. I grew up in Plainfield,
IN and after high school I came to Lincoln in 1989 to attend Lincoln
Christian College. After that time I served in ministry for 20 years
in southern IL. And then in 2017 we moved back to Lincoln. The town
was quite a bit different than we left it in 1993.
Times have changed haven’t they? When
you just think about the last 10 years or so it is amazing how many
things have changed. But one thing remains unchanged – on Easter
Jesus changed everything.
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Time and timing are hard to grasp, at
least for me. I am blessed to be a husband, father, a grandpa – and
many memories go along with those roles. It is amazing how when
looking at old photos I can travel back in time as if it just
happened. I can understand some about the importance of timing. If
you look over your life you can likely see how things would be
different now in both good and bad ways if certain decisions and
events didn’t happen. God knows about all of those realities.
It makes me think of this powerful
passage in Romans - Romans 5:6–10
“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the
ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though
perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows
his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for
us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much
more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we
were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much
more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” (ESV)
You see –Jesus changed everything– His death and resurrection was
for you, for everyone. It happened at just the right time. Easter is
a time for new beginnings – Why not go to church this Easter? In our
changing times, we need something to bring us stability – That is
found in Jesus [Nathan Chitwood - Minister
Prairieland Christian Church - Hartsburg, IL] |
