If you have tried to fill your life up with anything but Jesus then you will soon discover that the emptiness you feared hasn't been filled at all, you just temporarily ignored it and this emptiness can leave you weak, broken, shattered, lost, fragile, gullible, afraid, and fractured.It doesn’t have to be that way, we can find forgiveness and fullness in the Christ who emptied Himself so that we might find the fullness of life. That is the message of the cross, the purpose of the grave, and the joy of new life in the empty tomb.
Date: 4/21/19
Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10
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From Series: "What's the Point?"
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Easter? Retail stores do a good job of helping us answer that question. It’s hard to ignore the candy, bunnies, and Easter baskets, oh, and how could we forget those “Peeps!” in all their sugar-coated marshmallow goodness. When Easter finally arrives after a season of Lent we celebrate, and rightly so. There are eggs to be found as children dressed in their Sunday best scurry around to fill their baskets with candy and sometimes even finding money in those eggs. There is the family gathering where we sit down to a big spring fling meal and fill our bellies with food and Easter desserts. We’ve incorporated many of the secular pieces of the season into this cherished time of the year, which is okay, if it’s done in balance. But, of course, Easter for many of us still means attending church, coming together to worship and celebrate our risen Savior.
Easter is a highlight of the year because it tells us there is new life. On Easter we rise with the sun and proclaim in song, “Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph o’er His foes!” Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26 NIV) We stand with our fellow sisters and brothers in Christ and proclaim in one voice, “We believe!” It is a joy to celebrate the message of Easter together in that we have victory and life in Jesus.
But have you ever really given much thought to what happened before that first Easter Sunday morning? Before all of this celebration was darkness and death. The cold, dark days of the cross had to come before the joy and triumph of the empty tomb. You cannot have new life and resurrection before you have death. Jesus would suffer horribly and die a tragic, painful death. The cross would become a symbol recognized around the world as a symbol of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. But why did Jesus have to die that way? Why the cross? What’s the point?
Before we come to Easter and celebrate all of the wonderful things, we are going to explore the meaning of the cross in detail and answer those questions in our Easter Series titled, “What’s the Point?” Join us starting March 31st as we begin this new series during Lent that will walk us joyfully into Easter Sunday, where we will celebrate Easter with a greater appreciation for the Cross of Christ.
