Wow! I have not published a post in almost a month! Where has the time gone?
I know - towards Easter preparations.
Working at a church, two things are certain. One, holidays become more about folding bulletins and publicizing worship services than planning the traditional family meal. And two, you will NEVER get time off during the Easter or Christmas season.
And, I am fine with that.
This Easter at my church, it is going to be so great and such a party for Christ's resurrection.
You know, out of all of the world's religions, Christians are the only one's who can say that their "founder" overcame death.
True, Buddhists believe that the final cycle of one's term is the state of nothingness, where you are died in the body and the spirit - called nirvana. But I never have gotten into the Buddhist beliefs anyway...you mean to tell me after being reborn again and again and again, the best you got for those "graduates" is, well, nothing? Ya, right.
Jesus is the only one who was truly dead, laid to rest for three days, and then came back to life. Once "back from the dead" Jesus was sure to show himself to his disciples, and to a crowd of over 500 people.
Smart move if you ask me. Only showing yourself to your close friends would be up for debate when explaining it to others. However, it's not that hard to explain when 500 other people, of no relational ties, see him too with their own eyes.
Could you image being Mary, the first to the grave, to see the living Jesus on Easter morning?
It is important to note that Jesus first shows himself to a woman. That was by no accident folks. Remember, this was a time when women were still seen as second-best, not equals. Is it ironic that Jesus showed himself to a lowly person such as a women, first? I think not.
I would argue that for Christians, Easter holds far more significance than Christmas. Sure, the Lord God placed his only son in a human's womb with so much promise. But it is Easter that truly seals the deal of this amazing Son of God named Jesus. Jesus' resurrection was the last piece to the puzzle, guaranteeing that indeed Jesus is God.
Working with the youth of the church always is entertaining. They are so full of energy and love and desires to learn more and more. But, this one particular youth group was entertaining for another reason...
We were talking about Easter, the resurrection, the three days of death, and somehow got on the topic of if Jesus was married. And one of my darling freshmen chimed in, "Well of course he wasn't married, he didn't have kids, I have never heard anyone with the last name of Christ."
Can you say job security!?
Jesus Christ, (not his last name) is my savior. He gave his life in such an ugly way to save me. Little old me.
Oh, how I love Easter!
