Have you ever had someone that you know die? It's a sad time, knowing that you will never get to talk to them or see them again until you see them again in heaven. Usually when someone dies, we cry and we miss them.
That's what happened when Jesus died. His friends missed him. They gathered together and talked about Him and how they were going to go on without Him. They were sad, and they were scared.
Then, the women who had gone to the tomb showed up at the door and gave them great news. "Jesus is alive," they said. What do you think the disciples' reaction was? What do you think your reaction would have been?
The disciples didn't believe the women. Even though Jesus had repeatedly told the disciples that He would rise from the dead, they didn't believe Him. After all, no one had ever risen from the dead.
Matthew 16:21 tells us "From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." Yet, even though Jesus had told them what would happen, his disciples were still surprised when Jesus actually rose again.
Check out their reaction in Luke 24:36-39. "While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
Even though the disciples could see Jesus, they still had a hard time believing that He had risen from the dead. Can you imagine how their sadness turned to joy when they realized Jesus was actually standing there in front of them?
It's that joy that we celebrate at Easter. The joy of knowing that Jesus is alive. We don't worship a dead God. We don't worship a statue that was never alive. We worship a God who came to earth, sacrificed Himself for us and then beat death and rose again. That's a reason for joy.
It's that joy that makes being a Christ-follower different from any other religion in the world. If Jesus hadn't risen from the dead, being a Christ-follower would be no different from any other religion. Like we talked about yesterday, Jesus' death on the cross makes it possible for us to have a relationship with God. His sacrifice blots out our sins.
Yet, if Jesus had stayed dead, we would have nothing to celebrate. Jesus would not have been who He said He was. Jesus told His disciples over and over again that He would die but also that He would rise again. Because He rose again, because He defeated death, we can have confidence in God's promises that we, too, will have eternal (that means forever) life with God.
We celebrate Easter on the day that Jesus rose from the dead, not on the day that He died. His death is important, but without his resurrection Jesus just becomes another person who made some big claims then died. His resurrection means that we can believe in all of God's promises. Jesus did what He said He would do. And that makes Easter a reason for us to celebrate.
As you celebrate Easter this year, remember that Easter is about joy. Think about how it might have felt to be one of the disciples seeing Jesus again after His death.
Showing posts with label Easter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Easter. Show all posts
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
The Ultimate Sacrifice
This week at Everyday Truth, we're celebrating Easter with a family devotional each day. Each one is designed to be used with your kids to take a look at a different aspect of the Easter story.
My oldest daughter made a sacrifice the other day. We had already scheduled her sister's birthday party for Sunday afternoon when we got an email saying my oldest had a soccer game at the same time. There was no changing the time on the party, and I really needed their dad and grandmother to help me out.
Instead of throwing a fit or being upset, my oldest said, "That's OK. You guys stay at the party. Granddaddy can take me." Not only was she giving up going to the party, but my oldest was giving up having one of us come to her game. And she did it without a fuss. She made a sacrifice so her sister could have something she wanted.
That's what sacrifice is. It's giving up something for someone else. Sacrifice is rarely ever easy. I know my oldest daughter would have preferred that we all go to her soccer game, but sacrifice nearly always results in something better. My oldest's sacrifice kept the peace in our family and made her sister very happy.
Easter is all about sacrifice. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for you and me. He chose to die on the cross so that we would no longer have to be separated from God.
Think of it this way. Take out a piece of paper and draw a picture of someone on one edge of the paper. Now, write the word "God" on the other edge. There should be almost the whole length of the paper between your person and God. That distance represents our sin -- the things we do that go against God's commands. Things like lying, saying things that aren't nice about people, not obeying our parents and stuff like that. We can never cross that distance on our own. We are stuck on one side of the paper while God is on the other.
Now, draw a cross between the person on your paper and God. The cross creates a bridge across the distance. Because Jesus chose to die, he closed the distance between us and God. He made it possible for us to have a relationship with God.
Jesus could have climbed down off that cross any time He wanted. He was, after all, the Son of God. Yet, he chose to stay on the cross and sacrifice His life so that we could be close to God. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice -- his life -- for you and me. He loved you enough to die for you.
Do you know what the Bible tells us happened when Jesus breathed His last breath? Check out Matthew 27:51: "At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." The curtain of the temple separated the part of the temple where the regular people could go from the part where only the priests could go. The inner part of the temple was available only to a select few. The curtain separated most of the people from God. It was a physical representation of our separation from God. Yet, when Jesus died, that curtain ripped in half, signaling the end of that separation.
As you celebrate Easter this weekend, remember that it is Jesus' death that makes it possible for us to be close to God. Without His sacrifice, we would still separated from God. Thank Him today for His sacrifice that created a bridge between us and God.
My oldest daughter made a sacrifice the other day. We had already scheduled her sister's birthday party for Sunday afternoon when we got an email saying my oldest had a soccer game at the same time. There was no changing the time on the party, and I really needed their dad and grandmother to help me out.
Instead of throwing a fit or being upset, my oldest said, "That's OK. You guys stay at the party. Granddaddy can take me." Not only was she giving up going to the party, but my oldest was giving up having one of us come to her game. And she did it without a fuss. She made a sacrifice so her sister could have something she wanted.
That's what sacrifice is. It's giving up something for someone else. Sacrifice is rarely ever easy. I know my oldest daughter would have preferred that we all go to her soccer game, but sacrifice nearly always results in something better. My oldest's sacrifice kept the peace in our family and made her sister very happy.
Easter is all about sacrifice. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for you and me. He chose to die on the cross so that we would no longer have to be separated from God.
Think of it this way. Take out a piece of paper and draw a picture of someone on one edge of the paper. Now, write the word "God" on the other edge. There should be almost the whole length of the paper between your person and God. That distance represents our sin -- the things we do that go against God's commands. Things like lying, saying things that aren't nice about people, not obeying our parents and stuff like that. We can never cross that distance on our own. We are stuck on one side of the paper while God is on the other.
Now, draw a cross between the person on your paper and God. The cross creates a bridge across the distance. Because Jesus chose to die, he closed the distance between us and God. He made it possible for us to have a relationship with God.
Jesus could have climbed down off that cross any time He wanted. He was, after all, the Son of God. Yet, he chose to stay on the cross and sacrifice His life so that we could be close to God. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice -- his life -- for you and me. He loved you enough to die for you.
Do you know what the Bible tells us happened when Jesus breathed His last breath? Check out Matthew 27:51: "At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." The curtain of the temple separated the part of the temple where the regular people could go from the part where only the priests could go. The inner part of the temple was available only to a select few. The curtain separated most of the people from God. It was a physical representation of our separation from God. Yet, when Jesus died, that curtain ripped in half, signaling the end of that separation.
As you celebrate Easter this weekend, remember that it is Jesus' death that makes it possible for us to be close to God. Without His sacrifice, we would still separated from God. Thank Him today for His sacrifice that created a bridge between us and God.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
What Happens When We Screw Up?
This week at Everyday Truth, we're celebrating Easter with a family devotional each day. Each one is designed to be used with your kids to take a look at a different aspect of the Easter story.
Today, let's talk about one of my favorite figures in the Bible -- Peter. He plays a small but important role in the events leading up to Jesus' death. Peter was the disciple I would vote as Most Likely to Say the Wrong Thing. He rarely thought before he spoke and was always rushing into the things. Jesus had to save Peter from his own impulsiveness more than once.
Peter was the guy that jumped out of the boat when Jesus was walking on the water. As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he could walk on the water, too. But when he looked down at the water and let fear and doubt creep in, he began to sink. Jesus had to save him.
During the final meal Jesus would eat with his disciples, Peter again became the center of attention. He made some rash statements that would come back to haunt him later. Look at what happens in Luke 22:31-34:
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
Peter didn't believe that he could ever turn his back on Jesus. Yet, just hours later, after Jesus had been taken away by the Roman soldiers, Peter would be asked three times if he was one of Jesus' followers. Three times he would deny that he belonged to the group of people that followed Jesus. And then the rooster crowed.
Peter screwed up. At the moment when it was most difficult to be a follower of Jesus, Peter turned his back on Jesus. He said he didn't know Jesus.
That could have been the end of the story, but it's not. We know that Jesus was crucified and rose again three days later. We're going to look at those two big events tomorrow and the next day. For now, let's focus on what happened to Peter after Jesus rose from the dead.
Jesus appeared to his disciples several times after he rose again. One day, Jesus appeared to the disciples while they were out fishing. Look at what happens in John 21:7: "Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ;It is the Lord!' As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, 'It is the Lord,' he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water." Peter had not forgotten how much he loved Jesus. He was so excited to see Him again that he couldn't even wait for the boat to get to the shore. He jumped out to reach Jesus.
Then, Jesus did something important. He forgave Peter and gave him the task of looking after the people who would become the early church. In John 21:15-19, Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Jesus. Peter answers yes all three times. Jesus then tells Peter to feed Jesus' sheep. Despite Peter's major screw-up, Jesus is putting Peter in charge of caring for His followers. It's a big responsibility and one that will ultimately end in Peter's death.
Why is all of this important for us? Because when we follow Jesus, it is inevitable that at some point, we will screw it up. We will not stand up for Jesus when we should or we will pretend we don't know Jesus when it would make us uncomfortable. But, just like Peter, when we screw up, Jesus is waiting to forgive us and say again to us "Follow me."
Can you think of a time when you pretended you didn't know Jesus? Maybe a time when you made a choice that you knew went against God's commands? Those are the moments when we turn our backs on Jesus. When we do that, we need to ask for forgiveness and try again. Jesus is waiting for us to acknowledge our poor choice and jump right back in to following Him. His death on the cross allows Him to offer us that forgiveness.
So, when we have our "Peter moments" when we choose to ignore Jesus, remember that Jesus is simply waiting for us to come crashing out of the boat to return to Him. And, He's always willing to forgive our screw-ups and set us back on the right path -- because He loves us.
Today, let's talk about one of my favorite figures in the Bible -- Peter. He plays a small but important role in the events leading up to Jesus' death. Peter was the disciple I would vote as Most Likely to Say the Wrong Thing. He rarely thought before he spoke and was always rushing into the things. Jesus had to save Peter from his own impulsiveness more than once.
Peter was the guy that jumped out of the boat when Jesus was walking on the water. As long as he kept his eyes on Jesus, he could walk on the water, too. But when he looked down at the water and let fear and doubt creep in, he began to sink. Jesus had to save him.
During the final meal Jesus would eat with his disciples, Peter again became the center of attention. He made some rash statements that would come back to haunt him later. Look at what happens in Luke 22:31-34:
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
Peter didn't believe that he could ever turn his back on Jesus. Yet, just hours later, after Jesus had been taken away by the Roman soldiers, Peter would be asked three times if he was one of Jesus' followers. Three times he would deny that he belonged to the group of people that followed Jesus. And then the rooster crowed.
Peter screwed up. At the moment when it was most difficult to be a follower of Jesus, Peter turned his back on Jesus. He said he didn't know Jesus.
That could have been the end of the story, but it's not. We know that Jesus was crucified and rose again three days later. We're going to look at those two big events tomorrow and the next day. For now, let's focus on what happened to Peter after Jesus rose from the dead.
Jesus appeared to his disciples several times after he rose again. One day, Jesus appeared to the disciples while they were out fishing. Look at what happens in John 21:7: "Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ;It is the Lord!' As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, 'It is the Lord,' he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water." Peter had not forgotten how much he loved Jesus. He was so excited to see Him again that he couldn't even wait for the boat to get to the shore. He jumped out to reach Jesus.
Then, Jesus did something important. He forgave Peter and gave him the task of looking after the people who would become the early church. In John 21:15-19, Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Jesus. Peter answers yes all three times. Jesus then tells Peter to feed Jesus' sheep. Despite Peter's major screw-up, Jesus is putting Peter in charge of caring for His followers. It's a big responsibility and one that will ultimately end in Peter's death.
Why is all of this important for us? Because when we follow Jesus, it is inevitable that at some point, we will screw it up. We will not stand up for Jesus when we should or we will pretend we don't know Jesus when it would make us uncomfortable. But, just like Peter, when we screw up, Jesus is waiting to forgive us and say again to us "Follow me."
Can you think of a time when you pretended you didn't know Jesus? Maybe a time when you made a choice that you knew went against God's commands? Those are the moments when we turn our backs on Jesus. When we do that, we need to ask for forgiveness and try again. Jesus is waiting for us to acknowledge our poor choice and jump right back in to following Him. His death on the cross allows Him to offer us that forgiveness.
So, when we have our "Peter moments" when we choose to ignore Jesus, remember that Jesus is simply waiting for us to come crashing out of the boat to return to Him. And, He's always willing to forgive our screw-ups and set us back on the right path -- because He loves us.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Memory Monday: A Celebration
This week at Everyday Truth, we're celebrating Easter with a family devotional each day. Each one is designed to be used with your kids to take a look at a different aspect of the Easter story.
Today is my youngest daughter's birthday. When she went to bed last night, today looked like a happy day. She has birthday treats to take to school, and we were going to go shopping for a new bedspread and decorations for her room for her birthday present after school.
Then, she was up half the night with a horrible headache. She woke up this morning with a sore throat. Unless she makes a huge recovery in the next hour, it looks like we'll be spending her birthday in pajamas, curled up on the couch watching movies.
This is not the birthday I would have predicted for her yesterday as she ran around with her friends at her birthday party. It was a day of fun and celebration. Lots of smiles and laughter were had while celebrating her life.
Can you think of a time when you were expecting something good and something different happened? How did you feel? Did anything good end up coming of the different thing that happened?
That's what happened at the very beginning of the last week of Jesus' life. He entered Jerusalem to much joy. People lined the streets and laid palm branches on the ground as He passed by. They celebrated his arrival. They shouted and celebrated. Matthew 21:9 says "The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, 'Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!'”
By the end of the week, things would be different -- not at all what an onlooker would have predicted as they watched the celebration as Jesus entered the city. Those same people that had celebrated Jesus' arrival into Jerusalem would be demanding His death. This man who had been celebrated as He entered the city would be handed over to the Roman authorities, beaten and sentenced to die on a cross. It was a scenario that would have been unthinkable just a few days before.
As you think about Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem and how quickly things changed during the week, remember that Jesus was not what the Jews of the day expected. The Jews of that time were living under Roman rule, which meant they had to follow Roman laws and they didn't have a lot of freedom. The prophecies in the Bible had told them that Jesus would be their savior. They thought that meant He would come and defeat the Romans, but God meant for Jesus to save everyone from a life separated from God. That required a different kind of sacrifice than the one the Jews were expecting. And the Jews didn't like that. They felt like Jesus had let them down. It wasn't what they were expecting.
Even though Jesus wasn't what the Jews expected, the events of the week following the celebration of Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem -- Jesus' death and resurrection -- allow us to have a relationship with God. Those events mean that our sin doesn't separate us from God forever. Jesus provides a bridge to God, which is a cause for celebration. The Jewish people that celebrated Jesus' arrival into Jerusalem were right to celebrate. They just had the wrong reasons in mind.
This week, with your family, memorize Matthew 21:9. Those words are words of celebration, and Easter gives us a reason to be joyful. Jesus became the sacrifice that allows us to have a relationship with God. And, that's a great reason to celebrate.
Today is my youngest daughter's birthday. When she went to bed last night, today looked like a happy day. She has birthday treats to take to school, and we were going to go shopping for a new bedspread and decorations for her room for her birthday present after school.
Then, she was up half the night with a horrible headache. She woke up this morning with a sore throat. Unless she makes a huge recovery in the next hour, it looks like we'll be spending her birthday in pajamas, curled up on the couch watching movies.
This is not the birthday I would have predicted for her yesterday as she ran around with her friends at her birthday party. It was a day of fun and celebration. Lots of smiles and laughter were had while celebrating her life.
Can you think of a time when you were expecting something good and something different happened? How did you feel? Did anything good end up coming of the different thing that happened?
That's what happened at the very beginning of the last week of Jesus' life. He entered Jerusalem to much joy. People lined the streets and laid palm branches on the ground as He passed by. They celebrated his arrival. They shouted and celebrated. Matthew 21:9 says "The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, 'Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!'”
By the end of the week, things would be different -- not at all what an onlooker would have predicted as they watched the celebration as Jesus entered the city. Those same people that had celebrated Jesus' arrival into Jerusalem would be demanding His death. This man who had been celebrated as He entered the city would be handed over to the Roman authorities, beaten and sentenced to die on a cross. It was a scenario that would have been unthinkable just a few days before.
As you think about Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem and how quickly things changed during the week, remember that Jesus was not what the Jews of the day expected. The Jews of that time were living under Roman rule, which meant they had to follow Roman laws and they didn't have a lot of freedom. The prophecies in the Bible had told them that Jesus would be their savior. They thought that meant He would come and defeat the Romans, but God meant for Jesus to save everyone from a life separated from God. That required a different kind of sacrifice than the one the Jews were expecting. And the Jews didn't like that. They felt like Jesus had let them down. It wasn't what they were expecting.
Even though Jesus wasn't what the Jews expected, the events of the week following the celebration of Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem -- Jesus' death and resurrection -- allow us to have a relationship with God. Those events mean that our sin doesn't separate us from God forever. Jesus provides a bridge to God, which is a cause for celebration. The Jewish people that celebrated Jesus' arrival into Jerusalem were right to celebrate. They just had the wrong reasons in mind.
This week, with your family, memorize Matthew 21:9. Those words are words of celebration, and Easter gives us a reason to be joyful. Jesus became the sacrifice that allows us to have a relationship with God. And, that's a great reason to celebrate.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Don't Miss the Empty Tomb
It's that time of year again when our schedule gets overbooked. I honestly think that this weekend in April is the busiest one of our year, including the holiday season.
My youngest turns 8 on Monday, so her birthday party is this weekend on top of her regularly scheduled hockey game, the AWANA carnival and an egghunt. My oldest is going on a church retreat, to another friend's birthday party and has a soccer game at the same time as my youngest's birthday party. We'll finish the weekend out with our second-to-last AWANA meeting.
I have freelance deadlines coming up and am in charge of planning and hosting the birthday party. It would be really easy to lose sight of the reason that we're celebrating this weekend and get caught up in the details.
You all know that I love to throw a good birthday party. I've made Super Mario decorations, planned games, including an obstacle course, a balloon battle and a question mark box pinata. I still have a lot of details to take care of before the party on Sunday, and I'm sure I'll be a bit stressed before it all comes together.
I'm trying not to let the details get in the way of enjoying the weekend celebrating with my daughter. It would be really easy to get so focused on the party and all the other things we have to do this weekend that I could miss the joy in the moment and the reason for celebrating -- my daughter.
As Easter nears, we don't want to get caught up in the details and the noise surrounding this celebration of Jesus' death and resurrection. What a joyful time of the year. We serve a God who defeated death and offers us life. When the women went to the tomb, it was empty because Jesus is alive. The angels told them "He is not here. He has risen, just as he said." (Matthew 28:6) That's an amazing message, and one to be celebrated.
Unfortunately, the world has commercialized Easter to the point that it's true meaning has been lost. It's easy for our kids to get caught up in coloring Easter eggs and egg hunts and completely miss the truth of Easter. Spend the next week helping your kids to focus on the reason we celebrate Easter.
My youngest turns 8 on Monday, so her birthday party is this weekend on top of her regularly scheduled hockey game, the AWANA carnival and an egghunt. My oldest is going on a church retreat, to another friend's birthday party and has a soccer game at the same time as my youngest's birthday party. We'll finish the weekend out with our second-to-last AWANA meeting.
I have freelance deadlines coming up and am in charge of planning and hosting the birthday party. It would be really easy to lose sight of the reason that we're celebrating this weekend and get caught up in the details.
You all know that I love to throw a good birthday party. I've made Super Mario decorations, planned games, including an obstacle course, a balloon battle and a question mark box pinata. I still have a lot of details to take care of before the party on Sunday, and I'm sure I'll be a bit stressed before it all comes together.
I'm trying not to let the details get in the way of enjoying the weekend celebrating with my daughter. It would be really easy to get so focused on the party and all the other things we have to do this weekend that I could miss the joy in the moment and the reason for celebrating -- my daughter.
As Easter nears, we don't want to get caught up in the details and the noise surrounding this celebration of Jesus' death and resurrection. What a joyful time of the year. We serve a God who defeated death and offers us life. When the women went to the tomb, it was empty because Jesus is alive. The angels told them "He is not here. He has risen, just as he said." (Matthew 28:6) That's an amazing message, and one to be celebrated.
Unfortunately, the world has commercialized Easter to the point that it's true meaning has been lost. It's easy for our kids to get caught up in coloring Easter eggs and egg hunts and completely miss the truth of Easter. Spend the next week helping your kids to focus on the reason we celebrate Easter.
- Starting Monday, check out the blog for a family devotion that will walk your family through Easter week, focusing on the events in Jesus' life in that last week. Each day will include a fun activity to do or an easy discussion to have with your kids.
- One of my favorite object lessons for kids during Easter are Resurrection Eggs. These are plastic eggs that have something inside each egg that tells the story of Jesus' death and resurrection. It's fun and engaging for kids. Let older kids open the eggs in order and tell you the events that go along with each object.
- Take every opportunity in this next week to talk about Jesus' death and resurrection. While there's nothing wrong with coloring eggs and going to egg hunts (we do), make sure your kids know that those things are simply fun. The true reason that we celebrate Easter is because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave so that we could have a relationship with God.
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