The truth about Easter, whether I believe it or not!
Easter seems to have come around quickly this year; it doesn’t seem that long ago Christmas was upon us. But when we think about it, the two are intrinsically connected. Without Christmas, there would be no Easter, and if it wasn’t for Easter, Christmas would have no special meaning.
Jesus, who came as God in human flesh, arrived to earth to live as one of us, to experience all that we experience and show us the way back to God. He came to earth as a baby and, 33 years later, was brutally crucified on the cross. Jesus was falsely accused, had no trial to speak of, because many didn’t like His message so they plotted to have Him killed. But what they didn’t realise was that they were executing the unstoppable plan of God. The events that led to Jesus’ crucifixion, were in motion as planned by God from the beginning of time to open for us a way to heaven. Jesus died on that cross in our place, His sacrifice meant that we could be forgiven and set free from the things that hold us in darkness.
Remembering that Jesus is God, helps us to realise there is no foul play at work here. God was offering Himself to die in place of us, that we might have our sin and wrongdoing cleansed to receive a new life in Jesus. The Bible calls this being ‘born again’. It’s not a physical birth, it is, however, like being given an amazing opportunity for a second chance to do things differently, do things right, and to follow the way of Jesus teaching, to know God and have a new life by His grace.
Recently, I came across a book I had bought for my dad in 2015, it’s called “Ripley’s Believe It or Not”, written by Robert Ripley. It seemed that Robert Ripley enjoyed collecting strange and amazing bits of information which, although they seem unbelievable, are actually true. I thought at the time it was so full of little stories that it could be picked up and pondered over to fill a few spare moments. When I was glancing through it during the last couple of weeks, I found some of the stories quite interesting, others are quite bizarre, while some are just really hard to believe. But do you know what? If it’s true, it’s true, whether I believe it or not.
It made me think about how many don’t believe that Jesus rose from the dead or that He wasn’t who He said He was, that is, the Son of God: the One who came to save us from darkness and death and bring us into the Light and Love of God. When it comes down to it, whether we believe it or not, it doesn’t make Jesus’ resurrection any less true. Whether we believe in Him being who He said He was, or not, doesn’t make the reality of His deity any less true. If it’s true, it’s true, whether anyone believes it or not. But believing in Him, does produce amazing results with eternal life and an adventure with God while we have this life on earth.
So Happy Easter from all of us at Coalburn and Lesmahagow Church, we pray that you will sincerely think about Jesus and all He has done to offer you life in abundance, through His death and resurrection. If you don’t yet know who Jesus is, come and find out as we learn more about Him and travel this journey of faith together.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for this celebration of Easter that gives us an opportunity to remember Jesus died and rose again and is alive forevermore. The Love that came down at Christmas was revealed in fullness of meaning through the message of the cross and Jesus resurrection. May the blessing of Easter open the way for us to understand Your love more completely, in the Name of Jesus Christ, amen.
