Easter Reflections

As I looked up from my readings and glanced out the window I saw a man jogging by on the road in front of our home.  I wondered if he realized what day this was and really grasped its significance.

The other evening we had dinner with a few friends.  At one point one of them shared an experience from their job which reflected the fact that Good Friday didn't truly have any significance for her.
It made me sad.

You see, this season is my favorite of all.  It was during this season that I met and fell in love with Jesus, my Savior.  It is during this season that I (we) receive an opportunity, once again, to reflect more deeply on what He has done for me (us) and Who it is that did so.

I have been quiet these past few days, I think, because I love to treasure the significance of this week, what it means for me and all those around me.

Thursday evening Ray and I attended our church's Maundy Thursday service.  It is a simple service; scripture reading, songs and communion.  It is an time to reflect on the Last Supper and what followed.

The first reading was from John, chapter thirteen.  It depicts that last Passover meal that Jesus shared with his twelve disciples.  One passage has always stood out for me, it is found in verses three and four:

"Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God, rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself about."

He knew who He was, what He was about and where He belonged and was accepted.  A picture of a totally whole person.
This totally whole person, the Son of the Living God knew what awaited Him a very few hours from then, but His focus was on His disciples and what He wanted to impress upon them.  Jesus, the One all should serve, made Himself as one of the lowliest of servants and washed His disciples' feet.  He wanted them, and us, to realize and remember that in His Kingdom we are to put others first.  He is the example, as He set aside all His privileges for our sakes.

I had the privilege of reading another of  the portions of scripture.  It was from the nineteenth chapter of John, the first twenty-two verses.  As I read, I believe I felt the emotions of my God, the emotions that accompanied having to watch His Son mistreated, mocked and then crucified.

Good Friday is a solemn day and, if not for Easter Sunday, it would be a day where despair leaves its final mark.  However, Glory! Glory!, on that particular Sunday, as the sun rose, so did the Son of God!!

I read something this morning by Max Lucado that sums the whole story up.  I will leave you with his words:

His Name is Jesus by Max Lucado

HIS BIRTH

Jesus...
He could hold the universe in His palm
but gave it up to float
in the womb of a maiden.
Christ became one of us.
and He did so to redeem all of us.

HIS MISSION

Jesus...
The man...
who spoke with such thunderous authority
and loved with such childlike humility.
The life of Jesus Christ
is a message of hope,
a message of mercy,
a message of life in a dark world.

HIS DEATH

Jesus...
The palm that held the universe
took the nail of a soldier.
On the eve of the cross,
Jesus made His decision.
He would rather
go to hell for you
than go to heaven without you.

HIS RESURRECTION

Jesus...
the moment He removed the stone,
He removed all reason for doubt.
Christ's resurrection
is an exploding flare
announcing to all sincere seekers
that it is safe to believe.

We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. I John 2:1

Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.   Revelation nineteen, verse one.