Hello NLD Friends,
Easter is finally here! It is one of my favorite weekends of the whole year and I think my favorite holiday. Many who are not Christ followers just do not get this weekend. We know that we have life eternal and life abundant because of what this weekend means. Hebrews 9:22 states it clearly as it explains that without the shedding of blood there could be no remission of sin! Christ stepped up and offered Himself as the spotless Lamb of God shedding His own blood on our behalf so that we might experience His forgiveness and grace. We now have life full and free because of what He did.
I don’t know what you do on Easter weekend or what your traditions are. Tony is planting several box gardens this year and today he is at home doing his planting! Apparently, you must have your seeds in the ground by Good Friday. This is a new thing for us so I can’t say that it will be a new tradition just yet. I have already received a phone call from him asking me to make a stop on my way home by the local Pharmacy to pick up “cloth band aids! This is not a good sign!! I will do my usual long run in the AM with my running buddy, Kay and we will chat it up solving all the worlds problems and then it will be off to cleaning house. Tony has a gift card for Stoney River so plans have been made for dinner on Saturday night . But somewhere in this weekend I plan on sitting down and watching The Passion movie. That is my Easter tradition. I don’t watch it any other time during the year except on Easter weekend. See, I need to remember….I need to be reminded that without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sin. I need to remember afresh what it took to purchase my freedom. Our sweet Lord paid a high price for our freedom and I want to honor that and exalt His name far above any other. I’m not sure if we will go to the Saturday night service time or the Sunday morning service time but I can’t wait to experience Easter! Last year I had the most moving experience ever with Easter. I had finished cleaning and got myself cleaned up and dressed and then I sat down to watch the Passion. Just as it was ending we had to jump up and head off to church because we were going to the Saturday night Easter service. Having just come off watching The Passion movie and straight into an Easter service was….well…..I can’t put it into words. I know I cried so hard during the WHOLE service that my throat hurt by the time it ended. WOW! Oh, the lavish and demonstrative love that the Father pours out on us. I challenge you that if you need to remember or if you need to be reminded…sit down and pop that DVD in and let yourself get lost in the beautiful demonstration of unconditional love that our Abba Father has for us.
I hope you and your family have a great Easter weekend
Dana