Bunnies, Baskets and Bulbs... What about Jesus?

The traditional Easter celebration has morphed over the years into a mega commercial holiday.  It is second in the sale of candy only to Halloween.  Jelly beans, chocolate bunnies, marshmallow chicks, and candy eggs top the popular wish list.  Easter baskets are adorned with paper or plastic grass, small toys, and stuffed animals (bunnies, lambs, and chicks).

The Easter bunny originated in Europe and migrated to the United States.  It has always been a symbol of fertility.  Other animals played a significant role in Easter traditions throughout Europe such as doves, foxes and geese.  

Dyeing Easter eggs may have their origin in the 40 day period of Lent where often Christians would "give up" such dietary items as meat, eggs, and milk.  Eggs were decorated and kept for presenting in baskets lined with color straw as a treat after the fast.  Great care was given to extravagant design and a wide array of colorful dyes in order to ready them for presentation.

Chocolate eggs and the chocolate bunny had their roots in France and Germany in the 19th century and eventually made their way to the United States.  Chocolate was another common item to give up during Lent - thus making it a much desired item in the Easter basket.

A traditional Easter dinner might be leg of lamb or baked ham.  Lamb is traditional because Jesus' last supper was the Passover meal.   Ham was popular in the past because salted pork would last throughout the winter and be ready to eat in the Spring before other fresh meat was available.

But what about the Christian's celebration of this sacred holiday?  After all - we are celebrating the death and resurrection of our Lord.

The Easter season comprises of a 40 day period called Lent that precedes Easter Sunday. It is a time of reflection and penance, often involving a fast from one or more things - and represents the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness before starting His ministry.

Good Friday honors the day of His crucifixion and Holy Saturday focuses on the transition between the crucifixion and the resurrection.  

Symbolic of purity and the bodily rising of Jesus Christ, Easter lilies adorn Christian homes and houses of worship on the holy day that shares its name.  The flower was so named based on the fact that it often blooms near the time of year that Easter occurs.  White reminds us of the purity of Christ and the gold color represents the royalty of Christ.

Tulips are also popular in the Spring, and as is the case with the Easter lily, both flowers have come to represent Christ's resurrection from the dead.  Christians celebrate life over death in which the bulbs burst forth from the ground and bloom.



What does an empty grave have to do with you and me?  How can Christ's resurrection impact our lives today?

Simply put - Jesus is no longer in the tomb... He is here.  He "tabernacles" with us. He is Emanuel [God with us] and He is ever present in our lives, in our circumstances and in our eternal destiny.   Jesus is with us in pain and in difficulty.  He is with us in solitude and in rejection.  He is with us in loneliness and in despair.  Nothing can separate us from Him and His love...

"We learn that 'the Lord was with Joseph' in slavery, and then in prison.  In other words, God is not just in the garden anymore - He shows up even in the most painful and difficult places.  That's good news for anyone in trouble, and a hint of the Good News to come."

(John Ortberg)

He is the first to rise from the dead - the "first fruit" of the incorruptible seed of humanity. He fulfills prophesy and establishes the order of the final resurrection.  Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega - the Lord Almighty.  He is the originator of our spiritual DNA. 

Celebrate Easter with confidence, knowing that Jesus Christ purchased our access to heaven through His blood - atoning for our sins and sacrificing Himself in order to satisfy the Law's demands.  May we recognize and thank Him for His bountiful grace and mercy... 

Here is a link to one of my past Easter posts   EASTER - Promised Light Eternal

Deborah is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”. It is written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their passion.  It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together. 

Visit  http://www.spirituallyunevenmarriage.com

If you have been encouraged by this post - please take time to share it with others.

Bunnies, Baskets and Bulbs... What about Jesus?

Empty Tomb to Full Heart... What Does Easter Mean to You?

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?

   Amazing love! how can it be
   That Thou, my Lord, shouldst die for me?
                      [Charles Wesley  1780]

She was freed from seven devils by the power of Jesus, and joined the women who accompanied the disciples, caring for their needs.  She was from Magdala, on the Southwest coast of the Sea of Galilee. 

She could not comprehend how this Prophet whom the disciples called "The Son of God" would show her such unmerited kindness and mercy.  How could she ever repay Him?

She remembered how Simon Peter spoke of a parable that Jesus taught of two debtors, saying, "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"  Simon answered Him and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."  And Jesus said to him, "You have rightly judged."  

Jesus spoke this of the women who had anointed His feet with a costly flask of fragrant oil during a dinner in a Pharisee's house. He continued the parable, saying to Simon and the others, "Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.  But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little."

She watched as the Lord and His disciples traveled throughout Galilee and the surrounding area performing miracles and ministering to the masses.  She observed firsthand how the crowds grew in anticipation of a conquering King... then as they began to fall away when their expectations didn't materialize.  

Who was this Jesus Who had commanded the demons to flee and the Spirit of God to come into her heart? 

Mary recalled as He often withdrew privately to pray to His Father.  She remembered how He taught with authority and wisdom, confounding the lawyers and Pharisees.  He had preached to all who would listen, often late into the day.  She and the others frequently heard the parables Jesus shared as He instructed the people in the ways of righteousness and Kingdom living.

Then she relived the horrors of the days leading up to His crucifixion with the criminals. She remembered the humiliation and pain and gore that surrounded His death. Her tears and those of His mother Mary, as well as the other women who witnessed the Roman punishment had been bitter and frequent since that day.  

When Joseph of Arimathea and Nichodemus secured His body from Pilate, they took the strips of linen with the spices as was the custom of the Jews to prepare Him for burial.  Mary also went with the wife of Clopas (Mary) and Salome the mother of James and John with spices to the tomb to pay homage to the slain Son of God..


On the Sabbath - the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away. She ran and came to Simon Peter and John - crying and pleading with them - asking where her Lord had been taken.  They both ran to the tomb. John peered into the tomb first, as Peter went inside and discovered the linen cloths and handkerchief lying on the stone.

Mary remembers the pain in her heart as she longed to see her Savior as she stood outside by the empty tomb. She recalled the encounter with the two heavenly messengers clothed in white as they sat - one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had laid. They asked her why she was weeping, and Mary said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him."

She heard Jesus say to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?"  And then she said to Him, supposing Him to be the gardener, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away."

Mary then grinned as she recalled her response to His reply, "Mary!" with her heartfelt shout of, "Rabboni!". 

Yes - Mary's heart was filled with gratitude and amazement as she gazed into heaven while He ascended to His Father. That was a day she would never forget...

(Scripture references:  Luke 7:40-47; John 19:38-42; John 20:1-18)

What about you?  As we celebrate Resurrection Sunday - what is your response to the Lord?  What does Easter mean to you personally?

Be refreshed and encouraged by this wonderful song 

Deborah is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”. It is written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their passion.  It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together. 

Visit  http://www.spirituallyunevenmarriage.com

If you have been encouraged by this post - please take time to share it with others.

Empty Tomb to Full Heart... What Does Easter Mean to You?

How Will You Spend Easter Sunday? Do You Dread The Prospect?

What do you do when your spouse doesn't share your passion for Jesus?  Do you attend church alone with the kids?  How do you make Easter Sunday special for your family when everyone is not on board?

My husband has agreed to go to our early church service this Easter Sunday.  He hasn't attended church with me for a couple of months now.  That is in part due to some minor surgery he had earlier in the year, and a nasty cold a few weeks back.  At least he is willing to celebrate with me one of the most important events on the Christian calendar:  Resurrection Sunday!  However, it was not always so.

I can remember getting our son ready for Sunday School and church services many times - not knowing if Daddy would be coming with us.  I met the Lord Jesus in my mid-thirties, and our son was about 3 yrs. old in April of 1989.  There were many Sundays when we would go to church alone.  That was okay with me because I had met the King of Kings.   I made a personal decision that I would make the effort to attend church services and introduce my child at a young age to Jesus Christ.

This year our son and family are visiting during the week before Easter.  His wife's family has a reunion every Easter Sunday at the beach after church and has an egg hunt for the little ones.  They cook-out and enjoy the sand and surf while catching up with each other's family.

On some Easter Sundays we have a home-cooked meal with our parents and loved ones.  Other times we attend church and go out for Brunch afterwards.  Each year is different - especially now that our son is grown and living in another state. 

While the little ones are still at home - it's fun making your own family traditions and special memories.  When our son was young he attended a Christian grade school, and he often made crafts with an emphasis on Easter.  They recited Scripture from the gospels and learned about Jesus and the resurrection.  They sang songs centered around our risen Savior and the cross of Christ. 

One year I made a "Resurrection Egg Basket".  It consisted of a basket with brightly colored plastic eggs - each one containing a symbol of the life and death of Jesus.  The eggs were numbered, starting with "1".  They contained one or more tiny trinkets along with Bible verses.  The object is to tell the Easter Story as you open the eggs and read the Scripture corresponding to each item. One egg had a miniature loaf of bread in it.  One egg had a fish.  One egg had a piece of purple velvet and a small twisted piece of vine with thorns.  Another had a nail in it.  I put a small silk Easter lilly in an egg.  Another egg had a tiny cross, and one had a large stone.  The last egg was empty.  You can get creative and think of your own special touches.  I used that Resurrection Easter Basket year after year - and he enjoyed opening the eggs and discovering the treasures each time!

How do you keep the Easter season special and meaningful for your family?  What traditions do you have from growing up that you intend to continue with your own children?  Even if your spouse chooses not to celebrate Easter with you - you can have influence in your home that will last a lifetime.  Begin now shaping a legacy that will be passed on from one generation to another.  Easter is a wonderful time to discuss "new life" and why the Resurrection is important to us as believers. 

Begin now by praying for your spouse to have "eyes to see" and "ears to hear" the true message of Easter.  Here is an example to follow: 

Dear Lord, I lift up my (husband/wife) to you now.  I humbly ask that during this Resurrection season You would open the eyes of their heart that they may see who You truly are.  Thank You Lord that whenever they turn to You, the veil will be taken away and they will behold Your majesty.  Cause them to know the hope of Your calling and the riches of Your glory.  Thank You Lord you will save them, not on the basis of their deeds, but according to Your mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.  Lord, Your Word declares that You will be found by those who do not seek You, and You will be manifest to those who do not ask for You.  Thank You Lord that they will know Your love which surpasses all knowledge, that they may be filled up to all the fullness of God.  We thank You Lord that You are not slack concerning Your promise... but are longsuffering towards us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  In Jesus Name we pray,   Amen.

(Ref:  Colossians 1; Ephesians 1; Titus 3; Romans 10; Ephesians 3; II Peter 3)

Deborah is the author of a Christian non-fiction book titled “Mission Possible”. It is written for women who love the Lord Jesus, but their spouse doesn’t share their passion. It will encourage and challenge the reader to embrace God’s promises for their spouse and future together.

http://www.Godmissionpossible.com

How Will You Spend Easter Sunday? Do You Dread The Prospect?