Wishing you a Happy Easter! May your family have a delightful day together, celebrating this special occasion. Like most families, we have enjoyed Easter egg hunts and various activities throughout the weekend.
Our typical Easter day will start with a search for Easter eggs left by the Easter bunny, filled with lots of candy and coins hidden all over the house. My kids are teens now so it’s not quite the same as it used to be but they still have fun. I know they’ll really appreciate the gold Swensons coins this year, which I may or may not be bribing my oldest with to continue this tradition.
We will have our traditional breakfast of Easter bread, Polish sausage, and colored Easter eggs that we decorated the night before. We will attend church in the morning to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Later, it’ll be nice this year because my entire side of the family will join us at our church. We will enjoy a grand dinner with our family and indulge in way too much candy and dessert throughout the day.
It will be a joyful day with our family, and we all will be happy. Don’t you just love the holidays?
However, amidst all the excitement and fun activities, we tend to forget the true meaning of Easter. It is not about cute little chicks, chocolate, and the Easter Bunny.
I believe that God wants us to have fun and be happy, and He doesn’t mind if we spend time with our loved ones or indulge in chocolate bunnies. But, when we lose sight of Him and the actual purpose of Easter, it grieves His heart. What Jesus did for us is tremendous.
Jesus, the Son of God, was entirely perfect in every way, without sin. In the Old Testament, a priest would select an unblemished sacrifice, like a lamb, and offer it as a sin offering for himself and the people. The blood of the sacrifice would purify and forgive their sins. Then, Jesus came to Earth and became the Lamb of God – perfect, without blemish. He made the ultimate sacrifice for all people. After Jesus came, there was no need for further sacrifices. His blood was enough to purify and cleanse us from all our sins.
On “Good Friday,” Jesus was crucified on a cross after severe beatings. He took on the sins of the entire world. I can’t even fathom what He went through, and it hurts just to imagine it. It is easier to accept it and move on rather than understand what Jesus went through willingly because of His love for us. The Passion of the Christ, directed by Mel Gibson, accurately portrays what Jesus went through. I highly recommend that adults watch this video to comprehend what Jesus endured for us. Here is a short clip.
A new movie just came out called His Only Son and I highly recommend you go see it in theaters this weekend. You can even see it free by going to Angel.com/freetickets It helps pull the Old Testament to the New Testament, showing the epitome of love and sacrifice.
Another great way to show your family the person of Jesus is through watching The Chosen, the first-ever multi-season series about the life of Christ. They haven’t got to the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ yet in the series but it is an amazing way for believers and people who have never read a single page in the Bible to start to understand who Jesus is. You can watch the series for free a number of ways.
The good news is that Jesus rose again on the third day. That is why we celebrate Easter, and that is why we have hope. After the darkness of the crucifixion, we can rejoice that Jesus is alive on Sunday morning!
Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
God loves us. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. Jesus rose from the dead and offers us eternal life. He wants us to accept Him as our Savior and turn away from our sins. He promises to be with us always.
If you want to take that step and accept this amazing gift, please pray this simple prayer.
“Lord Jesus, I believe you are the Son of God. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. Please forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal life. I ask you in to my life and heart to be my Lord and Savior. I want to serve you always.”
Find others that love God, share your decision with them, and start attending a local Bible-believing church. I hope that this Easter is a life-changing one for you.
Thanks for reading and letting me share my heart with you. I hope you will take time to reflect with your family today on the true meaning of Easter.