I don't want the Gospel story to be just another story I know or Easter to be just another holiday we celebrate. To borrow the phrase being used by our church for this Easter weekend- This is It. If we miss this, we miss everything. This is it. Not just the point of this weekend or this holiday, but the very point of our lives. Without the cross, without the empty tomb, there is no point.
As Christians our lives should revolve around this one moment in history. If we really understand the Easter story, then our lives should be radically different. Since the moment Adam and Eve fell into temptation and disobeyed God, their gracious Creator, sin has reigned on this Earth, and all men since have been separated from God, deserving death as their punishment. ("For the wages of sin is death" Rom 6:23) But God, being gracious toward us, sent His Son to come and live a perfect, sinless life and to bear the weight of our sins. He took the punishment we deserve upon himself on the cross. God-in the flesh bore the weigh of wrath that we deserved. ("But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5) But the best part is what happened next. Because Christ was sinless, the perfect, spotless atonement for our sins, death could not hold him! ("God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it" Acts 2:24) And now through his resurrection, those who turn from their sin and themselves and trust in him will NOT suffer the punishment of death as we deserve. No, we now have life! ("But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved." Eph 2:4-5)
I don't know about you, but this makes me want to jump out of my seat! Even as I read this I am overwhelmed by the goodness and mercy of a God that could love us so much! And truly for the believer the best is even still yet to come one day when our Savior returns! So, I don't want Easter to be just another story...truly, how could it be??? It is THE story. The greatest story ever told. So I want to share it. I want to live it. And I want my children to know it.
So as I pondered how to show them the greatness of this story, I found an idea on Pinterest (of course!) that I thought would be a great way to emphasize this to them. Last year we made resurrection cookies and I thought that they were a wonderful reminder of the beauty of the Gospel. This year I wanted us to share the Gospel with others. I mean, if we truly believe this good news, how can we keep it to ourselves? So thanks to Pinterest, here's what we did.
Then, armed and ready, we headed out to the neighbors!
This is what they will find when they get home today!
What a simple and fun way to share the Good News...That He is Risen Indeed!
"But the angel said to the women, ' Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.'" Matthew 28:5-6
