Spring is in full bloom and Easter Sunday is just around the corner. Church leaders are prayerfully preparing their Easter sermons. Children are full of joy memorizing Easter poems. And some families are doing one of my all-time favorites as a child: Decorating Easter eggs.
In the 60's, we boiled eggs and dyed them with various pastel colors. Each design arrangement was unique. For some reason, I loved using the yellow dye as the foundational color. The double dipped sun color appearance was a beautiful slate to create from. But mostly, the color yellow simply made me happy. I was excited to place random stickers on the colored shell. I enjoyed using templates to create fun patterns over the egg surface. With my mother's help, the artistic outcome was successful, but I am sure the cleanup aftermath was a parent's nightmare.
And, what use is it to dye eggs without having an old fashion Easter egg hunt after a Sunday service. At an egg hunt, you can witness the sweetest child transformed into an egg hunter on steroids. Only the swiftest and oldest walked away with the most eggs. It didn't matter that they were wearing newly purchased outfits with special bows and ties. What mattered was finding an egg hidden in the grass, in a tree, or right in the open for a toddler to find.
It took me a few years to transition from having a childlike mindset of Easter to an adult one. No more games with eggs. Now, I set my vision to the thought of the cross.
As an adult, do you still have that awe and excitement about what Easter Sunday represents? As believers in Christ, we believe that Jesus died on the cross one Friday and rose to life on Sunday, proving that He is the Son of God. He became the unblemished Lamb of God and the perfect sacrifice for our sins. His death and resurrection represent our sins being buried with Christ and raised from death to eternal life. This is good news! No longer do we have to sacrifice an animal when we violate God's law. Christ became the sacrificial lamb once and for all. Now, we can approach God's throne covered by Jesus' righteousness.
With this news, let us not be routine church goers any longer. Let's change our mindset like Apostle Paul did. When the Lord spoke to Paul on the Damascus Road, Paul gave up his old life for a new one. He once persecuted Christ's believers. Now, he's not ashamed to be called one. In fact, he says "it's news I'm most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God's powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God's way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives" -- Romans 1:16-17.
In Romans 1:11-12, Paul even wanted to impart faith to the Christian community in Rome and to be encouraged by their faith as well. He prayed for it frequently. And, finally when he got a chance to visit, he arrived as a prisoner. Most folks would have been down casted, saddened, or maybe ashamed. Not Paul. He had prayed about this moment. Of course, he didn't want to be a prisoner, but that didn't matter.
In chains or out, Paul's prayers were answered. He shared his faith with the guards, friends, and anyone who would listen. The Roman and Gentile believers were just as excited to see him. Because when they heard that he was coming, many walked over 30 miles to see him.
Here's the Acts 28:15-16 account written by Luke of what happened: "The brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged. When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him."
So, do you have Paul's type of Gospel excitement about Jesus? Revisit Paul's experience or read about Jesus' crucifixion, death, and resurrection (Luke 23-24). After reading, be honest with yourself. Has life gotten so topsy turvy that you have unintentionally forgotten how exciting the good news really is?
Instead of grafting God's purpose into your everyday life, have you become self-serving with a me-purpose? The time for change is now.
Place a little kindling of faith on the fire today. Find one way to share the Gospel using your mouth, your behavior, giving a testimony, your talent, teaching, or even writing. Be creative. He's alive and is inviting you to share His purpose.
Luke 24: 1-7 says:
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.
2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,
3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.
5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?
6 He is not here; he has risen!
Brenette Wilder, formerly of Altheimer, Ark., is a blogger at wordstoinspire105953116.wordpress.com and author of Netted Together, https://nettedtogether.org.
Editor's note: Pastors, ministers or other writers interested in writing for this section may submit articles for consideration to [email protected] or [email protected]. Please include your phone number and the name and location of your church or ministry. Writers should have a connection to Southeast Arkansas.