Easter was yesterday. The weather was perfect...sunny, warm, with birds singing. I mean, it couldn't have been more perfect in terms of that. However, this has been one of the saddest Easter's I've experienced as an adult.
My dear old friend and best dog, Allie, had to be put down last week. Then, hours later on the same day, our friend and neighbor, Mike Sweeney, went to be with Jesus. The cancer wore down his body until he had nothing physically left to give. Finally, on Saturday morning, another beloved community member, Shane Richardson, lost his battle with cancer as well. Both of these young men were shining examples of Christ in their homes, churches and neighborhoods. My dog Allie was a constant companion and true friend, beloved by everyone in my family. All three will be missed sorely by those of us left behind.
So, how do I reconcile all this loss with the joy of Easter? Celebration and death usually don't go together. But, that's exactly what Jesus did for us on the cross. He experienced death to give us something to truly celebrate...eternal life. He drank from the cup he'd prayed hours before to be taken from Him. He went willingly to that tree, to be tortured and killed for something He did not do. And all because He wanted us to participate in this fabulous celebration called life. Death is not the end for those of us who know and accept Jesus. We have much to celebrate here and in the next phase called heaven.
Live on and celebrate!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWe were in Chattanooga for Easter and went to church with my mother-in-law. The pastor gave an illustration at the end of the sermon which I believe speaks to the "missing but not gone forever" that I see in your writing.
ReplyDeleteHe talked about a nice restaurant in Orlando to which they'd received a gift certificate. It was one of those places where they put your napkin in your lap. His wife got up to go to the powder room and the waiter, after she was up and gone, folded the napkin in some kind of fancy pattern and put it at her place.
There is a tradition, some places online I've found it referred to specifically as a Jewish tradition, about how the master of a household would use his napkin to tell the servants if he was done with the meal. If he got up, wiped his mouth, cleaned his beard, then wadded up the napkin and threw it on the table, he was done with the meal and not returning. The servants were then free to clean up the table without interrupting him.
If, however, the master wiped his mouth and beard then folded the napkin and placed it on the table, he was saying to the servants, "I'll be back." They would leave the table alone since the meal was not yet complete.
John 20:6,7 "Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there,as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen."
Jesus threw away the burial linen because He was done with death, yet He folded the burial cloth because He was coming back. We'll see Mike, Shane, and Allie after we get there or He comes back.
I found you! Yay! I would love to add you as a link on my blog if you don't mind? Wonderful thoughts on Easter. Yes, this Easter was much more for me this year. . resurrection Sunday will always have new meaning for us. Beautiful post!
ReplyDeleteWendy