Category: Easter

Why do I celebrate Easter?

Published on by katiesencouragementforyou8 Comments

Ramadan and Lent started on the same day this year.  I have many friends who are Muslim, and I was excited to be fasting and praying during the same time that they were fasting and praying.  I would send them texts during this time—”It’s the 23rd day of fasting!  Yay!!”  I even invited myself over to one of my friend’s homes with some other friends—telling her not to fix us anything as we were fasting too–we just wanted to chat with her–but she made tea, and served little cakes.  Really the gift of hospitality is so precious and wonderfully practised by our friends.  Now their Ramadan is over with, but our Lent still continues–and in less than 2 weeks, we will celebrate Easter!!

I’ve written about our International Tea Group, and how we meet once a month, and ask a question for everyone to answer.  During one Tea time, during the month of December, quite a few years ago, one of our Muslim friends asked us to explain why Christmas was important to us?

So for this blog, I thought I’d answer,  “Why is Easter Important to me?”  (Actually when I was single, my roommate and I had a group of Muslim students over for Easter dinner—and they actually did ask us a similar question, they asked:  “Why do you celebrate Easter?”   The following is my answer:

I was raised going to church.  I am so grateful to my parents, who took us to church every Sunday, and prayed with us, and made sure we received education in the faith.  I had a sense that God loved me, but at the same time, God seemed a long, long way away from me.  And when I was doing things that I knew were wrong, I was really grateful that God seemed a long way away from me. In fact I was really hoping He would not notice what I was doing or thinking.

When I went away to college, I really broke away from my parents and their teaching and training.  I still went to church on Sunday, but I was just paying lip service to God.  I was doing many things that I knew in my heart were wrong.  

Then in March of my freshman year, my roommate, (who had been my best friend during my freshman year), told me that she now knew God personally and that her sins were forgiven.

I had gone away for the weekend to visit my parents, and when I came back–my roommate had become a Jesus freak.  And I was the one who was freaking out.  I was curt to my roommate, I tried to avoid her and inside I was thinking, “Who does she think she is—she isn’t perfect—and I’m the one who still goes to church every Sunday?”

However, at the same time I was thinking– “what’s wrong with me, that I am being so hateful to my roommate?”

Then, after a time of me being curt and angry with my roommate, she turned to me and said, “You know Katie, I’m not perfect, I’m just forgiven.”   It felt like an arrow pierced my heart.  How I longed for that—to know that I was forgiven.

When I went to bed I prayed to God.   “Lord, I want to know that I am forgiven by You.  I want to know You.  Thank You – Jesus dying on the cross to pay for the penalty of my sins.  Thank You for rising from the dead, and showing me through that –that someday I will rise from the dead too.  Please come into my life, forgive me, and make me a new person.”

I did experience God’s presence flooding my heart, and His love surrounding me, (although not everyone experiences this–and their decision of faith is just as valid as mine.)

I made this decision about a month before Easter.  When I went home to celebrate Easter and go to church with my family—church seemed different than it  ever had before.  It was as if the words were alive, and were actually feeding my soul.   God did not seem distant at all.  It seemed He was all around me.  His love was the realest thing in my life.

That’s why Easter is important to me.  Easter is when we celebrate Jesus–God incarnate– coming to earth, dying on the cross, and rising from the dead—all to bring the Kingdom of God–to earth.  All to bring God close to each of us.  All so that we could know God, know His love, and know His forgiveness.  

May the rest of Lent help prepare our Hearts so that we can all truly celebrate the miracle of the Resurrection!!  And May We Be Encouraged!!

The Cross by Ann Wilson

Published on by katiesencouragementforyou14 Comments


Lyrics

You’ve been tryin’ hard to bear the weight of all your shame
And if there’s a God up there, you’re sure He forgot your name
When your steps are getting heavy, and hope looks all but lost
Just bring it all to the cross

Who told you grace can’t reach the messed up ones like you?
Has the devil made you believe the lies he tells are true?
When you’re sure that you’re the one who’s wandered too far off
It’s not too late
Just come home to the cross

Come and see a Savior’s love that would die to make you new
Nothing you have ever done, can change what mercy’s done for you
And if you ever wonder if you’re worth so great a cost
Look up and see the cross

Everybody’s got a list at least a mile long
Of every scar and every sin from everywhere that we’ve gone wrong
But there’s reason for rejoicin’, and the reason is because
That list was nailed to the cross

Come and see a Savior’s love that would die to make you new
Nothing you have ever done, can change what mercy’s done for you (what mercy’s done)
And if you ever wonder if you’re worth so great a cost
Look up and see the cross
Oh, the cross

He was wounded for your wounds, pierced for all your sin
By His stripes you are healed, died so you could rise again
He let the blood and water flow, and did it all to let you know
You’re the reason that He went to the cross
Oh, He’s callin’ you to run home to the cross
To the cross

Come and see a Savior’s love that would die to make you new (oh, He’s made us new)
Nothing you have ever done, can change what mercy’s done for you (what mercy’s done)
And if you ever wonder if you’re worth so great a cost
Look up and see the cross (oh, look up and see)
Look up and see the cross (he died for you and me)
Look up and see the cross

Embracing Joy!

Published on by katiesencouragementforyou4 Comments

Today, I thought, “I think I’ll call Marilyn today.”, and then as soon as I thought about it, I realized, “I can’t call Marilyn, she’s gone.”

Marilyn is my mother-in-law.  I say “is” because although she has passed on to the next life, she is still living, and we are still connected through her son.

Marilyn passed in the summer of 2020, at the age of 90.

April is Marilyn’s birthday month, so I find my thoughts going to her during this month.  I find myself wishing I could pick up the phone and call her.

She used to tell me stories about my husband, times when he was a baby, a toddler, a young child, a young man, times when I had not yet met or known my husband.   She was so proud of her son, she was so proud of her children.

My husband swam competitively in High School and College.  He was offered a full scholarship to Boston University to swim.  My mother-in-law did not think it was a good enough school for him so she had him turn it down.  She told me, this was a great regret of hers—as my husband went out of state to college, and he never returned.

She thought if he would have gone to college in Boston–he might never have left Massachusetts.

She loved her son and her grandchildren so much–she hated to be apart from them.

I used to tell her that if he had not left MA, he would not have met me, and she might not have any grandchildren.

She would then say, “That’s true, I never imagined him getting married at all.”

It’s funny the things we look back on and regret, and wish we had done it differently–things that in reality made us who we are.  Things that we learned from—some things we learned from to never to go that way again, and some things we reaped the benefits of those choices.

I’ve been learning about forgiving myself and others, and receiving God’s forgiveness.  Part of forgiving myself and others is realizing that my brokenness, my regrets, my scars—they brought me to Jesus in the first place for that forgiveness.  Jesus was broken, was scarred, was crucified for me and for you.

Jesus died for this forgiveness to be possible.  I have determined not to take this great sacrifice of His for granted.   I will ask for forgiveness from God, from others and from myself, and I will extend forgiveness to others and to myself.  

This is a time of new beginnings.  This is a time of hope and forgiveness.  This is Spring.  This is why we celebrated Easter.  This is Joy!!

May We be Encouraged!!

The Crocuses are up!!

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The crocuses are up!!

In my garden, the crocus flower is usually the first flower of the spring, then the daffodil and then the tulip.  The crocuses have been up for about a week.  But I’m taking a moment to proclaim that to the world—the crocuses are up!!  Spring is officially upon us!

Spring is the season, of Passover, and Easter—each proclaiming life over death, and freedom from slavery and sin.

Most of us know the story of Passover, where the Angel of Death “Passed Over” the homes where the blood of the lamb was placed over the doorframe of the house.  The Israelites had been instructed to eat the lamb and place the blood over the doorframe.  They were told if they did this that it would protect the firstborn of their children and animals.  This was an act of faith for the Israelites.   It was an act that would result in their freedom from slavery.

In Scripture, we find Jesus celebrating the Passover with His disciples.  He takes the bread and says, this is my body which has been given for you, take and eat.  And this is my blood, the blood of the covenant which has been poured out for the forgiveness of sins.  Take and drink.   Jesus is letting His believers know that He is bringing about a new covenant, one which is based on His blood, His body.  Just as the covenant that God made with Abraham involved a blood sacrifice so the new Covenant would involve a blood sacrifice—of Jesus.  This New Covenant would involve God reaching down to us, paying the penalty we each owed for our sins, so that we could enter into the “Holies of Holies”, into the very presence of God, based on our acceptance of this gift.

 I also believe that Jesus was letting the disciples know that just as they were celebrating Passover, and the act of faith that set them free from slavery—the eating of the lamb, and putting the blood of the lamb over the doorpost—so Jesus was to be their Passover Lamb—they were to eat—partake of Him, and when they did His blood would protect them from death and give them freedom from the Kingdom of darkness. 

How do we partake of Christ?   By faith.  That is what the New Covenant is about—we come to God and have a relationship with Him by our faith.  “For by grace you are saved through faith, and it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one can boast.”  We can express that faith through prayer.  Here is a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I need You.  Thank You for dying on the cross and sacrificing Yourself for me.  Thank you for being my “Passover Lamb”.  Please come into my life and may Your blood be over the “door” of my life.  Thank You for giving me eternal life.  Take control of my life, and make me the kind of person, You want me to be.   Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, and asked Jesus to come into your life, you can know He did answer you.  Why?  Because Jesus is God, and He does not lie.  He said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock, he who hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in…..”    Rev. 3:20

Jesus also says, “…..Be content with what you have, for I myself have said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

If you took this step of faith, (the Israelites took a step of faith when they put the blood of the lamb over their doorframe), you can know that Jesus did come into your life and He will never leave you!!

Yes—I know—that’s why it is called, “Good News”!!!

So, be encouraged—for our Passover Lamb is Risen, and He is coming again!!!