Easter without Jesus would be empty, hopeless. It would be the worst day in the history of mankind. I've realized that God's plan for my life involved the death of His only Son. To be able to accomplish the plan for which He created me, He had to be willing to allow His son to endure the pain of crucifixion. Why do people still choose to not serve a God that loves so much?
Selfishness - As if I deserved the life I have. As if I worked so hard to achieve what I have.
Nothing else keeps man from God than the unwillingness to relinquish his rights and surrender all. Selfishness leads people to do the most senseless things. Selfishness leads people to hurt others. Selfishness feeds greed, pride, and hate. Selfishness is the opposite of the example set before us by God and his Son, Jesus Christ. So what does Easter mean to me? Easter was the surrender of self. That's where Jesus gave up His desires and chose to obey His Father's will. Just so that we just might have a chance to accept Him. He wasn't assured we'd receive His gift of redemption, it was just an option for us, after all we have a free will right? But how can I reject the One who loved me so much He gave up so much for my wretched soul. He had the most to lose. Where would I be without Christ? I would be living a life without purpose, headed no where. With the hope of nothing. And upon death, I'd be in hell. I'd be in a place away from creator. I'd spend eternity without the warmth of His Spirit, without the light of His presence. No thanks, I choose to live a life that counts for something. I choose Christ. For me, to live is Christ. And His purpose is my call. And it's through the blood of Jesus Christ I am His son. Easter is a reminder, that I didn't get what I deserved, but I was given a purpose that is greater than my ability to accomplish on my own, but through the power of His Spirit, we can testify of His gift of love, and believe that we can make a difference for eternity for someone.
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I've come across many sites where strong opinions are voiced where churches are becoming more of a concert venue and losing their focus by using methods that are similar to a secular setting. And I think everything came to a deciding point for me just a few months ago. I came up with the conclusion that I must keep God as the focus of my message. Once the tools become our driving force, I can see where I can easily get carried away and lose focus of what God's wanting to say. Sitting today in our service planning meeting I was taken back to a trip I made to Paris a couple of years ago with my pastor and some of our staff. Walking around a beautiful cathedral with the most beautiful stained glass I had ever seen, it didn't make much sense to me outside of just seeing something that was synonymous with art in cathedrals in the 1300's. As I walked through the house of worship, I came to find out as I was talking to my pastor that each pane of glass illustrated the Bible. From creation to redemption, it was clearly illustrated with the most precise detail. As I think about that I also think about our house of worship. It doesn't have stained glass windows at all, but we use lighting, video, and other media tools available to present the message of hope. And sure as many churches may use stained glass as a form of decor, and their panes may not relay any message. I hope and believe that the message is what drives me, it drives us, and maybe many years down the road, some will understand the methods we use to share the greatest message of all. It's not just about having a cool light show, or cutting edge video, it's about communicating your message with your audience, using any means possible. What say you?]]>