Christ Is Risen

The celebration of Easter is a celebration of Christ rising from the dead after dying for our sins. We are now forgiven...saved...

What a glorious event. The most important to my life. So how have I become numb to this "holiday"?

On Monday evenings I have a small group with two other ladies. The question was asked this past Monday, "How are you feeling about Easter this week?" I am embarrassed to say that I hadn't thought any more about Easter except for what Luis and I would be doing and who we would "celebrate" with. I was quickly taken back and saddened by my response. We realized that it has been fairly easy to forget, or look past, what Jesus was going to go through the week leading up to his resurrection and what the resurrection has done for us. We were all distraught at this finding. We decided we would focus on Jesus' last week of life this week.

Except for maybe in middle school, I don't recall learning much about the last week of Jesus' life, or reading about it on my own for that matter. So this week I focused on the gospel of Mark and a fantastic tool my bible provides with a day by day timeline of the week of Jesus' death. I also attended the "Holy Week Experience" put on at Crossroads church.

The one thing that stands out so vividly is that when Jesus is hanging on the cross, he cries out "Father, why have You forsaken me?" It was brought to my attention this week that when Jesus was dying on the cross, he was temporarily separated from God. This is because God is perfect and all holy and at that moment, Jesus was bearing all our sins. And so, not only was Jesus in antagonizing pain, but he was separated from any spiritual comfort that God, his Father, provided.

This has been a hard thing for me to comprehend. And honestly, through it, I am even more amazed at God's love for me.

It is important to look at the entire week before Jesus' death and resurrection. This week I focused on even the small details of this week and I am in awe of God's love. I am thankful.

Don't be numb to this week of Jesus' life, death and resurrection.

"I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die." John 11:25-26.