The Easter season is full of activities, crafts, special services and special songs. At our local church, it means lots of rehearsals as we prepare for our annual full-scale Easter production. I remember one year working so hard to help with this production: staying late, devoting talents & personal resources to make it great. The drama follows Jesus as He begins His ministry all the way to the resurrection. At the end, we have our very own day of Pentecost experience. Hundreds have received the Holy Ghost on Easter Sunday, and I know many reading this have experienced how wonderful these altar calls are. I remember that year doing this drama, I was in the altar watching God pour out His Spirit all over the house. Everyone in the room had tears streaming down their faces and I realized that I had pulled a Martha. I had given my all, doing the work, but I had missed the point. Whether or not the drama went off without a hitch didn’t really matter. Whether or not the audience liked our creative liberty didn’t matter. What mattered in that moment was, did they feel the love of God sweep into the room? Did they realize how much He cared for them? Did they receive hope that their life could be transformed forever? I wept right along with the audience as I began to thank God for His grace and love.
Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to please God with our hard work and checking off all our boxes that make us “holy” that we miss the essentials. Jesus loves you. You can’t earn His love and you don’t have to. We serve Him with diligence not to win His affection but BECAUSE He loves us. When I’m overwhelmed with that love, no duty seems unpleasant or too hard. That love takes weight off of you. No matter where you are in your walk with Him, no matter what mistakes you’ve committed, He loves you. That love took Him to the cross to endure hellish brutality and death on our behalf, and it has not changed or wavered since. It’s that love of a Father that looks past imperfections. Every parent that reads this knows what I’m talking about; my children could do some truly depraved things and I would be absolutely heartbroken, but I would still love them fiercely. To think that my mere flesh can love like that, how much more so a perfect Father?
In all of your Easter preparations this year, between egg hunts and special Sunday lunches, make time to remember and dwell on the rich love of God. What a sacrifice, and what a beautiful testimony we get to have.
