Life after Easter

Picked up the Honey Baked Ham.  Check.  Made homemade Challah bread.  Check. Got the china out.  Check. HEB shopping before the mad rush.  Double check. Boiled eggs for Sunday afternoon Easter egg hunt. Check. The few days before Easter can only be described as busy, busier and busiest!  So much to do to get ready.  Then, boom, it’s Monday.   And all that remains is some left over ham and of course, the ugly jelly beans no one likes.

I can get so involved in the details of planning for Easter that I miss what it’s really about.  I forget that the day I was running around like a bunny with my head cut off, Jesus was dragging a cross.  He was bleeding.  He was sorrowful.  And then, just like that, He was nailed to the wood, tasting the bitterness of betrayal and carrying the sins of all people.  Why did He so freely accept the cross?  Couldn’t he have avoided such pain and agony?  Yes.  But, God so loved the world that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins.  Your sins and my sins.  That’s pretty amazing when you really, really think about it.

Then, a few days later, on Sunday, we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, giving us hope for a new life with Him.  Between the morning church service and hiding the Easter eggs, my mind is brought back to “why” we do all this.  Jesus Christ has risen today.  He is alive. He is risen.  He has risen indeed.  That’s cause for celebration!  Every day!  Mind boggling! This is the greatest news we could ever take in!

You see, the gift of Easter is not in the amazing Sunday brunch, Easter egg hunt or family gathering, although all are wonderful.  The gift of Easter is Jesus.   Hope.  Real hope. Hope that will never fade away. The message of hope and new life that Easter brings far surpasses any jelly beans, peeps or chocolate bunnies. Or money.  Or materialism.  Or success. Hope in Jesus is for sure hope.

Do you need a fresh start?  Sometimes going through a difficult circumstance or happening can shake us to the core.  Even our hope.  But, we must hold on to God, the giver of hope.  He gives new meaning to our tomorrows.  He gives hope when the hurts of life bear down on us. He believes in us when others don’t.  He freely loves us when others betray us. He is a Savior worth living for!

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio