He is Risen! (Matthew 28:1-20)

Photo by FlyButtafly.

Just wanted to wish a Happy Easter to everyone. :) I hope you all had a blessed day. I know it's a day late for this post (and a while since my last posting) but when your hope is in the Lord, you celebrate Easter every day! :D

I've yet to upload the pics from yesterday; we went to my mom's house for lunch, and the kids did little Easter egg hunts around her house. It was a lot of fun. And no arguments! (a minor miracle) ;)

Anyway, we (husband and I) have been planning on watching The Passion since Saturday night, in remembrance of the crucifixion/celebration of Easter, and we've yet to do it; tonight finally I think we will. It's a hard thing to watch - I always end up soaked with tears at the end... but that's not a bad thing. For me, having grown up in the faith and knowing the story since I can remember, watching that movie has brought the pain and reality of His sacrifice home to me more than anything else. Seeing it reenacted like it is in the movie is just so incredibly powerful... and I sit there thinking, He did this for me?!? That's how much *I* mean to Him??? How is that possible? I know I'm not worthy of that kind of Love... and yet He gives it freely! Isn't that amazing?? And it's for everyone! The parts that strike me the most in the deepest part of my heart (and what makes it *so* painful especially) are the parts where He interacts with His mother - and when she sees Him stumble as He carries the cross, and remembers Him falling as a child... I'm tearing up now, thinking about it. I can't imagine a more horrible thing to go through as a mother, than seeing your child in pain... and when there's nothing you can do it's even worse. How did she stand it? My heart is ripped out just thinking of it. And His pain... not just the unbearable physical pain, but the emotional pain He must have been going through as well. Seeing His mother, His friends, everyone who was mourning - He must have hurt for their pain as well. And the pain of knowing that their hope was fading; that they didn't understand that this wasn't the end... but merely the Beginning! Their blindness to the reality of what had to happen and the joy that was to come... and then the ultimate suffering - when the full weight of Sin came to bear upon His shoulders, and with that, the breaking of communion with God - the separation, the abandonment of His Father... being made desolate, completely forsaken - in that instant, He took *my* place and stood in for *me* so that I would no longer be separated from that relationship with God. When Jesus died, He took the weight of the world's sin with Him... and when He was laid in the tomb, it was also buried - for good.

Of course, none of this would mean anything if Jesus had not gloriously arisen those 3 days later! But He did - and He left the sin and separation and pain behind in the earth. Which means we don't have to carry it with us anymore! It's already been paid for. We've been redeemed from death!! We will never be forsaken, because Jesus already was *for* us. Now we can have the same relationship with God that Jesus does, because we come to Him in Jesus' name. Isn't that amazing?? We can be called the children of GOD!! Not acquaintances, or even friends - but children. That means we are part of His family. We get all the benefits that comes with being an heir - to His Kingdom! I know phrases can get tired, after being used so often - but if you just stop and think what significance that phrase really holds... being "joint heirs" with Christ... it's mind-blowing. We get the same priveleges - we can talk directly to God - we don't have to go through ceremonies or cleansings or through other people. We don't have to chant or do any sort of ritual, we don't have to be perfect or sinless or even "good" - we can come to God, and speak directly to Him *as we are, right now* - and the best part is, He loves us *as we are, right now* - we don't have to do anything to earn that. He already loves us. No matter what. How can you refuse a Love like that? People let you down all the time. They're unfaithful, changeable, liars, cheaters, deceivers, gossipers, backstabbers... and even your closest friends hurt you and disappoint you and don't always understand or can be there for you. But that's not true with God. He is *always* there, He understands, and He will never let you down. He is faithful and trustworthy and He is the only being that is capable of (and offers freely) true unconditional love. All He asks is that you accept His Love. It says in the Bible, that He stands at the door and knocks. All you do is let Him in. Sometimes it seems hard to open that door; there might be things you don't want Him to see... but you know, He already sees it; and He loves you anyway. He's still there, waiting to be asked in. He didn't come to condemn you, (John 3:17) but to save you from unnecessary suffering - He already went through the pain and separation and abandonment so you don't ever have to be alone again!! Won't you take His offer? He loves each of us more than we could even fathom. I know how much I love my children... and He loves us like that; only inconceivably more so! Incredible, isn't it?