What is Easter to you?
Do Easter egg hunts, brunch with the family, pretty dresses and Sunday service comprise your day? These are a part of our day as well.
The older I grow, the more I yearn to glimpse beyond the surface of the day, to Jesus. To what He did because He loves me, and all His creation. He purposely endured betrayal by one of His own.
Though He could have stopped it, He didn’t.
He endured a false trial, and spoke not a word in His own defense. Jesus endured forty agonizing lashes that ripped open His back. Nails through wrists and feet, horrific hanging on a cross, His blood dripping down the beam on its way to the ground.
At any point, He could have stopped this.
What person, in his right mind, willingly subjects himself to this incredible suffering, the kind that pushes a human body far beyond what it was designed to handle?
And yet, because Jesus loves me, loves the world, He went through the “agonia.” He died a solitary death. What moved Him to do it?
Love.
Amazing, selfless, passionate. All-encompassing love.
Yes, He died. But what we celebrate Easter morning is the fact His love overcame death and He rose to life. The cross was the mode of His death. His willingness to hang there, under sun, clouds, the condemnation of many raining down on Him . . . all for love.
The grave was His mode for overcoming death. Making a way for all who are willing to embrace Him as Savior, to know His love, His acceptance, the abundant life He offers in the right now.
He did all of this for love.
I have the chance to respond to Jesus’ gift. So often, I forget the great sacrifice He made. The pain, the torture He endured. I take it for granted. I believed, right? That was all that was required.
His love is worth so much more than my taking it—Him—for granted. Jesus gave me a gift I could never have any. other. way.
A gift of eternal life only He could give. He gave it at the cost of His spilled blood. At the expense of His life. And He did it willingly.
All for love.
As Easter comes around again, I want to give Him all of my love . . .
As a thank you . . .
To give Him all that I am, every day. It’s the least I can offer in response to His love poured out on the cross and through the empty grave.
All for love. I give Him everything.
What about you? What are your Easter traditions? How do you keep Jesus’ love for you fresh in your life?
**P.S. If you’re interested, I’m guest posting over at finchnwren on Wednesday. I’d love it if you stopped by!
May your Resurrection Sunday be filled with the presence of Jesus’ love for you!
Following is a music video that moves me to tears. It is graphic, but the song is beautiful. I encourage you take a few minutes to watch and meditate.
Jeanne Takenaka 
When I think of Easter, I think of Gary Gordon and Randy Shugart, the two Delta snipers who volunteered to try to hold off pretty much all of Somalia after the second Blackhawk went down in Mog in October 1993.
They couldn’t do it, and were killed, as I suspect they knew they would be. But they had to try. For love, and nothing else.
And I think of Robert Scott, whose post on December 7, 1941 was in one of the USS California’s compressor rooms. The California sank at her moorings; Robert Scott stayed at his post to feed compressed air to the antiaircraft guns, after the other men in the compartment bugged out. He drowned.
We can be, at our best, far closer to Jesus than we might think. His sacrifice was writ large, for the world, and ours are necessarily small, for those who stand – or fall – at our sides.
A father may build a castle; a child builds a sand-castle. Large, and small, but is the father not proud of the child’s achievement?
And is the child not inspired by the father’s glory?
As for our family traditions…well, dog care rules. I’m really no longer well enough to go to church, and it’s not very safe for me to go to a crowded church.
Safe for others, that is. Tap me on the shoulder when I don’t expect it and you’re taking a BIG risk.
But I think we’ll watch “The Passion”.
And maybe a Hugh Grant movie.
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Andrew, thank you for the moving examples of men who loved well, bravely, selflessly. I also loved your reminder that the Father sees our efforts and is proud of them. 🙂
Sometimes our role is to love well, as best we’re able. We’ll never do it as well as Jesus, but we can love and live for Him with what we have and know we honor Him in it.
My husband and I often watch The Passion before Easter. We need that reality check of what we really celebrate. I hope you and your wife enjoy your Hugh Grant movie!
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What a great post as we move from Palm Sunday to Easter. Have a blessed week!
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Thanks, Jackie. So glad you stopped by!
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Sweet post, Jeanne. As always. We are going to church to teach our 5th graders … I SOOOO love this class! Precious kids. They are so smart and know so much about the Bible … not just head knowledge … heart knowledge. Then, we are spending the day with my cousin and her family. We might go see Heaven is for Real. Much love to you, friend. Have a blessed Easter! He is Risen … just as He said!
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It sounds like your Easter will be full, in all the good ways. We’ll celebrate with my extended family as well that day. May your Resurrection Sunday be joy-filled!
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Beautiful post.
There is a lovely children’s book called The Easter Angels by Bob Hartman. The two angels who are by his tomb on Sunday morning have a conversation. And the big, strong guardian angel recounts how there was a host of angels ready to break through to rescue him from the cross, but the sign had to come from him, and it never came… I read it to the kids at school every Easter and then we read from the Bible, Matthew and Mark have one angel; Luke and John have two. But let’s not quibble over details…. All for love, yes! My fingertips ache at the thought… May He give us powerful words to speak over dinner at our non-believing relative’s house.
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That sounds like a beautiful children’s story. I’ve heard something similar and thought about it as I wrote the post. Jesus could have stopped the agonia at any time, yet He didn’t. Because of love. Amazing.
I hope the Lord shines through you in word and action as you spend Easter Sunday with your family. I’ll pray the same for myself. 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by!
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Beautiful reflections, Jeanne. For some many years Easter for me was about the easter eggs, the hunts, and maybe a few gifts for the kids. I’ve only been a Christian for 3 years and each year since accepting Christ I’m drawn more and more to Him on this day and what He did for me…for us. His grace is overwhelming.
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Beth, isn’t it great that we’re never too old to value the true message of Easter? I love hearing the change in your perspective since becoming a Christian. It sounds like there’s a story in there. 🙂
I’m so very grateful for God’s grace. It’s always abundant.
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Precious post, Jeanne. And I loved your guest post, too. Thank you for sharing your heart … living for Jesus.
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Thank you, Shelli. Thank you for being His encourager to many!
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All for love. That’s everything.
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