Easter's Best

It is Easter and clothes are flying off the racks. 

Countless people are shining shoes they wear only on special occasions, and little boys are being tortured with ties, hats, and Oxford sweaters in 85 degree weather. 

Girls are giggling over their Easter baskets. Moms are fretting over the Sunday ham that might begin to burn if the preacher goes on too long. Dads are wondering why on a perfect spring day they got up so early and it wasn’t for a round of golf?

Somehow we have lost what this season is. 

This is our true Thanksgiving. 

A time when we remember what Jesus did. A time to remember He chose to lay down His life. 

He laid it down in the Garden when He prayed for God to take the cup from Him. When Jesus said “Nevertheless”, what He meant was I will die for ________. (Your name goes here) 

He laid it down again when instead of calling angles to rescue Him from the cross, He took the punishment anyway. He laid down His life when He said “It is Finished”. 

Thank God He did not stop there. 

He laid down His Life, but He had the power to take it up again. Rising from the dead, the redemption of Man was complete. He made a way for man to die a spiritual death once and become alive in Him forever. 

This man was fully man, or the sacrifice He made would have been in vain, AND He was fully God. God’s one and only Son: the spotless lamb. 

This weekend does give us a chance to make new family memories, and to watch and delight in our children. 

Yet, if we do not focus on what Christ did, what is the point? 

Take a moment with your family, away from the church, and talk about the moment when you realized it should have been you on that cross. 

Take communion together. Pray with one another.

Share with your loved ones the message of the gospel and see the power of the Passion Story change their hearts and lives. 

Live Easter like you really believe what you say you believe.

The clothes are nice. The dinner is great. The reason for this weekend is Jesus and His ultimate sacrifice for you and I. He came to fulfill the goal of His father: the redemption of man. 

Do not lose sight of that. God gave His best- now give your's. 

Who Are You?

She Needed His Mercy

I am Mary Magdalene, adulteress, and prostitute. I met Him after He saved my life. He was the reason I am free from my old life. He is the one that loved me, though I was so unlovable. 

He did not want what other men did. 

He wanted my heart, not my body. 

He wanted me whole, not broken and used. 

He was my Savior and they have killed him.




He Washed His Hands

I am Pilot, governor over the territory of Jerusalem. This back water town is full of trouble, but every place is. I have to keep order and maintain the Roman way, but walk the line and keep the Jews happy too. 

Now they send me Him. Jesus. He is blameless. I find no fault. My wife is weeping in the other room. She has begged me to stay out of this. How can I? It is my job. I have to judge Him. 

He is innocent. 

The people want him dead. 

How can they want Him dead? What has he done? 

I will give them what they want. I cannot deal with an uprising if they become unsettled. 

I know they are wrong but I wash my hands of it all.



He denied Him

I am Peter. 

He just asked me to watch and to pray. I couldn’t stay awake! I should have seen them coming. I could have gotten him away from there! 

After the soldiers took him, I followed to see where they would take him. The courtyard was packed. They wanted Him dead. 

He knew. 

He told us last night. 

He has been telling us. 

Someone called me out! “Aren’t you one of his?” they asked me.

No!

“Yes, you are!” NO!

NO!

When that rooster crowed, I knew He had told me the truth.

What have I done?

When He asked me to follow Him, I did. When He asked me to walk out to meet Him on the water, I did. I watched him feed 5,000. I saw Him heal the blind. 

He even raised our friend from the dead. He washed my feet. 

He loved me like no one has ever loved me. He saw me: me, with my bad temper and big mouth, and He loved me anyway. I just deserted him. I left Him to them. Now He is dead.



He got a second chance

I am Barabbas. I was on death row. I was all set to die. I had been killing men and boys for years and I had finally been caught. The truth is, I was a little mad. 

When the soldiers brought me before Pilot, I thought, “This is it. I am going to die today.” I was prepared. 

Then I saw Him.

He just stood there, with his body bloody from a beating, looking at me. 

I felt like He saw everything I had ever done.

 I had heard about Him. He was all I would never be. 

Perfect. Holy. 

Pilot asked “Who do you want to be released?” and I cannot believe what I heard. “Barabbas! Barabbas! Give us Barabbas!”

He took my place. I deserved to die. I still deserve to die, but instead, He is dead. 

Him: not me. 

Jesus.




He did his job

I am just a soldier. A Centurion, proud to serve Caesar! I show up every day for duty and do what I am told. 

Today, well, today I wish I had any other job in the world but this one! 

I usually have guard duty, but today I got put on crucifixion detail. 

Why today of all days did I get ordered to do this? 

He was so beaten, so bruised. His body looked like a bloody animal carcass.

Through it all: the mocking, the spitting, He hung there, drowning as His lungs filled with blood, praying for us. 

He asked God to forgive us! 

Who is this man? 

Surely, He is who He says. He is the Son of God. What have I done? I just killed the Son of God!

I am Mary, adulteress

I am Pilot, judge

I am Peter, deserter

I am Barabbas, murderer

I am a Centurion, executioner



He was a carpenter, a builder, and architect

He was a brother, a Rabbi, a friend

He was a lamb and a Shepard

He was the bread and the wine

He was giving and He was given

He was offered and He offered

He was man and He was God

Today is Good Friday. 

Today we remember what Jesus did for us. He died for us, as a stand-in for us, so we could have relationship with God. 

It was always the plan. God's way to redeem us back to Him. 

Are you Mary? Are you Peter? Maybe you are Pilot, indifferent to God? 

Are you Barabbas, filled with hate and anger and not sure why? 

Maybe you feel like you are a pretty good person, just keeping your head down in life, doing your "job" and not doing anything too bad- that would make you the Centurion. 

Jesus died for every one of us, no matter who you are, or what you have done. If you have not acknowledged Him as the only way to God, won't you do so now? 

Ask for forgiveness. He gives it freely. 

He loves you, if He didn't none of this would have been necessary. 

Thoughts: Who are you?