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From
the April, 2004 edition of The Chapel newsletter
by
Mike Lintner
“Easter Preparations”
Ask yourself this one question today: “How should I prepare for Easter?” We certainly do a good job of preparing for Christmas, don’t we? We string lights, hang wreaths, decorate the tree, and light candles. But what about Easter? We might dye a few eggs, buy a lily or get a new outfit. But what do we do to really prepare?
Easter is the day we celebrate the central, most important event in history -- the day Jesus rose from the dead to make eternal life possible for each of us. To prepare for Easter we should be lifting up praises to God, like the people on Palm Sunday were shouting His praises and spreading His glory. Jesus said that if they kept quiet, the stones would cry out. Do we keep silent about the good news of our risen Lord?
We should feel what Jesus felt to prepare our hearts for Easter. As Jesus approached Jerusalem, He wept deeply for the people. While people were partying in the streets in celebration of the Lord, Jesus’ heart was filled with compassion for those who did not recognize Him. We can prepare for Easter by letting our hearts be broken for those who are hurting and searching; those who haven’t experienced the forgiveness, freedom, and peace that comes when you experience new life through faith in Christ.
Matthew 27:51 says that at the moment Jesus died on the cross the earth shook and the rocks split. That is what can happen if we begin to feel what Jesus felt - our whole world can be shaken and the hardest of hearts can be split wide open to receive Him. People are waiting to see if there really is a God who cares. They are waiting to see if church-going people are any different, if their God can be trusted, and if their faith really can do anything.
We can prepare for Easter in a way that will be pleasing to God and bring true and lasting joy into the lives of others. We can introduce others to our risen Christ -- the One who can change their lives just as He did ours.
In
Christ,
Mike Lintner
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