A Different Easter
April 8, 2020
by: Louise Duval MA, LPC, CAC, LAC
In the chaos that has become my “new normal” I had almost forgotten that this coming Sunday is Easter and this week before is a time to remember the events that lead up to Jesus’s death and resurrection. This is going to be a very different Easter for most of us. However, my prayer for you and myself is that we will not forget the reason for Easter, knowing that is what can give us hope as we go through this very difficult time.
Jesus’s death on the cross provided the ultimate healing from a disease much greater than Coronavirus. Until we experience Jesus’s forgiveness we are all suffering from the disease of sin that will lead to death and eternal separation from God. In the Bible we are told that we have all sinned (Romans 3:23) and we are also told that the penalty for sin is death (Romans 6:23). However, the good news about Easter is that God loved us so much He did not want us to die of this disease. The only remedy would be for someone else to take our place and that person would have to have no sin of their own to pay for. So, God sent Jesus to Earth. He came to teach us about God and to show us how much He loves us by taking the punishment we deserved. He died on the cross so we could be forgiven and healed from the disease of sin that was leading to death. That is good news, but the even better news is what we celebrate on Easter. Jesus did not stay in the tomb, He rose again, the tomb is empty, He is in Heaven, and if He is our Savior, we will join Him there when we leave this life. After Jesus rose again, He appeared to his disciples at different times and then He went to Heaven. When He went to Heaven He sat down at the right hand of God (Hebrews 10:11-14) showing the work was done. However, He has not abandoned us. Before he ascended He told his disciples to go to Jerusalem and stay there until “they have been clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). That Holy Spirit is still with us today and that is the same spirit that intercedes for us (Romans 8:26). Jesus knew this life would not be easy so He left His Spirit with us.
So as we approach a very different Easter, the message remains the same. Remembering Jesus’s last words to His disciples gives us hope and a mission. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). Jesus promises to be with us through this difficult life and His desire is that we share that hope with others we meet along the way. Reflecting on this truth could make this very different Easter, very life changing for you and those around you.