Ah, the enchanting season of Easter. This year, it seems to have arrived unexpectedly swiftly. Perhaps you’re feeling the same? The decorations and charming woven baskets still await, alongside the task of digging up my mom’s cherished recipe for those delightful gooey bars she cleverly shaped into bird nests, complete with colorful M&M’s. Those treats were not only adorable but also delicious. She had a way of making Easter so impactful and joyful for the children. How I miss her presence!

This is the second Easter since my dear mom left us, just four days post-Easter in 2022, making this holiday particularly poignant and filled with a mix of tender and intense emotions for me. Grief often catches us off guard, more so during significant holidays that hold deep meaning for us as believers.

Nonetheless, Easter serves as a gentle reminder to slow down, contemplate, and seize hope! Hope is a necessity we all deeply yearn for. Amid a world beleaguered by pain, loss, and chaos, this sacred period before Resurrection Sunday invites us to prepare our hearts to express gratitude towards God for His profound love, ceaseless mercy, and grace.

Are you searching for hope? A kind of hope that soothes your heart and soul, assuring you of a future reunion with loved ones?

If that resonates with you, I encourage you to pause and join me in reflecting on why this heartfelt season fills us with immense hope. Easter commemorates the most significant occurrence in human history, offering us the comforting assurance that death is merely a transition, not the finale. This is indeed a reason for jubilation and eternal joy!

Dear friends, during this sacred and blessed season, God is reaching out, reminding us of His enduring love and steadfastness. Let’s embrace this opportunity to be still and attentive, for though Friday may be marked by mourning and despair… God proclaims that Sunday is on the horizon!

1. God Loves You

God showcased His profound love through a cross associated with disgrace and suffering. But why choose the cross? Why endure such extreme suffering? You might question the necessity of this. Although God could have easily bestowed forgiveness and proceeded, it’s vital to remember that our understanding is not equivalent to God’s understanding (Isaiah 55:8-9), and His actions are always purposeful and promise-filled. The cross served both roles!

The mission of the cross was to express His love for humanity while providing a way for us to escape our sinfulness. This mission reflects His enduring faithfulness, compassion, and mercy. The cross signifies that Jesus bore our burdens. He stood in for us, carrying our sins, sorrows, temptations, and every anguish on our behalf. It represents the disdain, shame, and agony He bore for us!

This is the essence of God’s love for us (Romans 5:8)! So, how can we grasp its full magnitude? It’s beyond our complete understanding! Yet, we can celebrate knowing that God’s love was so immense it came at a significant cost, granting us the opportunity to experience life to its fullest. All glory to God!

2. God Is Just

God’s way of offering forgiveness stands in stark contrast to ours. He recognized that we could never cover the cost of our sins, as we are inherently flawed and marked by sin since the original fall (Genesis 3). Every aspect of our being, including our thoughts, actions, words, and even the deceit within our hearts, required redemption.

The Scriptures affirm that God is holy, righteous, and just (Deuteronomy 32:4 and Psalms 145:17). Consequently, God cannot endure the sight of evil or condone it. Simply put, sin and God cannot coexist (Habakkuk 1:13).

This necessitated God’s provision of His Son. Jesus became the essential offering to reconcile us from our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3). By placing our sins upon Jesus, who was sinless, we were made righteous before God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Nevertheless, living in a world marred by sin means we often fall back into wrong habits. It’s crucial to grasp that God persistently reaches out to us, desiring a sincere relationship. He calls us to turn to Him, repent sincerely, and embrace His grace (1 John 1:8-21). This demonstrates the compassionate manner in which our just God extends forgiveness. His desire isn’t for us to be burdened by sin but to turn away from it, live transformed lives, and grow in Christlikeness.

3. God Covers Grief with His Mercy

God teaches us that our existence on earth is not intended to last indefinitely. Death is inevitable and serves as a consequence of sin. Though Good Friday brought immense sadness, particularly for His devout followers who watched at His feet, unaware of the impending resurrection, we hold onto the promise that Sunday is on the horizon.

This affirmation we joyfully announce on Easter, that “Jesus is Alive,” provides us with the comforting thought that we, too, can leave behind our old selves and be born anew. Praise be! By declaring our faith and opting to courageously embrace a new path, adhering to The Way rather than our own, we experienced a form of death that day (John 14:6 and 2 Corinthians 5:16-17).

Yet, being “born again” can bring its share of sadness and lamentation, as we might grieve over who we were or our previous lives. The temptation to revert to old habits is real because following Jesus demands change, pushing us beyond our comfort zones. It challenges us to adopt a radically different worldview, to love unconditionally, forgive freely, and protect our hearts and minds from wrongdoing. Walking in Christ’s footsteps is a challenging journey.

But it’s in these challenges that God’s mercy shines brightest. Grace abundantly flows to those who embrace Him, covering our transgressions when we approach Him with contrite hearts, while His mercy comforts us in our moments of sadness and loss.

Easter serves as a poignant reminder that God is especially close to those in pain, lost, or mourning—whether it’s mourning our former selves or the departure of a loved one, there is hope! If today finds you in need of God’s mercy, take solace, dear friend. He is present with you!

4. God Gives Us Eternal Security

God envisioned our existence to be in perpetual fellowship with Him, thriving in an idyllic paradise. We were crafted to embody wholeness and sanctity, exemplifying His flawless creation. Aging or illness was never meant for us. Our lives were designed for tranquility and modest communion with the Lord, with death completely out of the picture. However, the adversary shattered this divine design with a single act of deception involving forbidden fruit.

Presently, we navigate a world rife with temptation, chaos, deceit, and the inevitability of death. One might wonder, why would God permit such conditions? While we may never fully grasp the vastness of God’s intentions, the Scriptures reveal from Genesis that God never desired death for humanity, His cherished creation made in His likeness. Yet, the decision to consume the fruit from the tree of knowledge led to grave consequences, casting Adam and Eve—and all humanity—into separation from God (Genesis 3:22-24).

It is for this reason that God forged a pathway back to Him through Jesus, offering us a choice between eternal life by our faith or estrangement and death by aligning with malevolence and facing damnation.

Easter emerges as an ideal time to disseminate the joyful message of Jesus Christ. In a world longing for even a glimmer of hope, let’s courageously extend this beacon of light!

5. God’s Message for Us on Easter

God reassures us that as followers of Christ, our hope is genuine and steadfast, unlike the fleeting hope offered by the world. Amidst the world’s cacophony, seeking our attention with its myriad of confusing signals, God’s guidance remains straightforward and unambiguous.

As His devoted disciples, God declares we are blessed, chosen, forgiven, justified, sanctified, redeemed, and endowed with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). Through His Son, Jesus, we are welcomed into His family (Ephesians 1:5), cherished as His dear children. Easter powerfully affirms our immense value, worthy of His salvation!

Easter, perhaps more than any other season, echoes God’s unique message to us. It serves as a reminder of His unfathomable love, His justice, His mercy that soothes our grief, and the assurance of our salvation. Easter is when God broadcasts His intention and hope to a world engulfed in despair, yearning for a beacon of hope.

The essence of God’s message is clear: He Himself is our hope!

Prayer for Hope

Merciful God, our gratitude for Your boundless love is beyond words. As we approach this sacred season, we pray that You instill in our hearts Your enduring message of hope and inspire us to share it with the world.

Our love for You is profound! Amen.