Easter is Coming

I love this poem.  You might have read it before.  The author is not given.   I put it out each year to help me focus on what Easter truly is about.

What if

this year at Easter

I put all the bunnies to the side,

forgot about the chocolates

and not a single egg I’d hide .

I wouldn’t fill an Easter basket

but instead fill up my mind

with sweet thoughts of that

Easter morn

and a man no one could find.

I think that that I might sympathize

with Thomas who had to feel

the nail holes in his Savior’s hands

to know that he was real.

And that is when I think that God

would help my heart to see

what Easter really means to Him

and what it means for me.

Last week I put out my Easter decorations which includes   my Easter tree.  It also helps me know what Easter means for me.

                 

I made this quite a few years ago when the kids were still little.  As I was hanging the ornaments this year the thought struck me (again) that God is just so very good. This simple tree and home made ornaments helped me teach my kids the meaning of Easter.  I’m not sure if it was impacting to them in some great way or just another affirmation that this is what Easter is about.  But I am grateful that God takes our efforts and does the unseen work in the heart.  When I put put the tree this year it was just me, no kids. But it is still teaching and reminding me just how much God loves us. I John 4:10, “This is love:  not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son as an atoning sacrifice for sins.”

  The idea is from the book, “Family Celebrations at Easter” by Ann ,  Hibbard.  ( There is also a book for Christmas)  In the book, there are directions for making the tree and patterns for the ornaments.  It includes daily Bible readings with discussion questions and even hymns to sing for each reading.  All the work is done for you!  Check it out if you’re interested.

As I was looking at the ornaments, I was struck at how well the Easter story was covered.

This one is sweet just because I see the scribbles.  Someone was still pretty small when we made these ornaments.

Some of the ornaments depict some wonderful spiritual truths, like servanthood.   Jesus humbled Himself  and washed the dirty feet of His disciples, leaving them, and us,  with the picture to love and serve one another.

How about the truth that when Jesus died for our sins on the cross, it was God’s perfect plan.  He was reaching out to all mankind to restore the relationship that sin had broken.

 

Our sin was destroyed on the cross.  I no longer have to wear my own dirty sinfulness. Instead I have the righteousness of Jesus!  He actually took my dirty, unfit rags and gave to me His righteousness!  There is nothing I could ever do to purchase or to earn that righteousness.

II Corinthians 5:21  “For He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”

I hope you have a Blessed Easter, not just on Easter, but beginning today!