Easter - Moving forward in Our Journey with God

This year, Ash Wednesday was on 2 March, marking the beginning of Lent on the Christian calendar. Its origin is from an eighth century practice of marking Christians’ foreheads with ashes. Sometimes the ashes were obtained by burning the palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday. This practice is also rooted in the Old Testament practice of using ash as a sign of penitence and mourning.

As we reflect on the events that led up to the first Good Friday, let us also reflect on Jesus’ invitation to “Come!” (John 1:39). The Christian life is an invitation to journey with Jesus, who is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6). As we journey with Jesus, we get to experience God’s amazing grace. When we walk with Jesus, He comes into our lives. He affects us. He changes us. He empowers us to live Christlike lives.

Jesus is the Way! 
As we look forward to Good Friday and Easter, let us consider our personal sins and those of our society.  Let us remember the mission of Jesus. He “came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). Once we were lost, and we live in a world filled with lost people. However, as recipients of God’s saving grace, let us not only be grateful for the salvation Jesus brought us, but let us also find ways to share the good news with others whose journey of grace intersects with ours. Perhaps we can help bring others to Jesus as some friends did to the paralytic in Luke 5:17-26.

Jesus is the Truth! 
Let’s also reflect on God’s saving grace. The Bible points out that “the wages of sin is death,” but “God does not want anyone to perish.” So, we read “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). When we repent of our sins and put our faith in Jesus as our Savior, we become free from the clutches of sin because Jesus is the truth that sets us free from sin (John 8:32). During Lent, many Christians engage in some forms of self-denial to remind themselves of Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice. Some people deny themselves food for certain periods while they commit more time praying for their own spiritual development and for the salvation of others. What would you be willing to deny yourself to further your walk with Jesus? Are you willing to offer some of your time and resources to help others in their journey with Jesus?

Jesus is the Life!
God wants us to experience His sanctifying grace whereby the Holy Spirit empowers us to live a life fully consecrated to God. Paul prayed for the Thessalonian believers: “May the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do this” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). Let us pray for others to experience God’s sanctification, which frees Christians from original sin and brings them into a state of entire devotion to God. It is in this experience that Christians find their greatest joy of the journey.

God provides sustaining grace!
“Now unto Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to make you stand without blemish in the presence of His glory with rejoicing, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory…” (Jude 1:24-25). Sustaining grace requires our participation. We must cooperate with God’s reordering of our lives around activities, disciplines, and practices that Jesus modeled. The journey of grace involves the transformation of the whole person. Through sustaining grace, the Holy Spirit cooperates with us to enable a faithful and disciplined life given in service to God. Let’s seek God’s grace for both the pardon of our sins and the power to live lives that honor God.

God’s grace is sufficient!
Let’s also reflect on God’s sufficient grace, through which God’s power is made perfect in our weakness. When Paul was struggling, God reminded him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). Sometimes in our journey with Jesus, we come to “the end” of our human resources. That’s when God says: “I’m offering you supernatural strength. When your energy runs out, my energy will be made alive in you. When you cannot go any farther, I will pick you up and carry you. Rest in my arms for a while” (David Busic, Way, Truth, Life, 2021). Let’s rely on God’s sustaining grace.

Jesus is triumphant!
On Palm Sunday, we will celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. As He rode a donkey into Jerusalem, He was welcomed by many people who were full joy and gladness. There was a great celebration in the streets of Jerusalem. The people adorned the path with their cloaks and palm branches for King Jesus as He rode on the donkey. Luke 19:37 gives us the reason for this reaction—praising God with loud voices “for all the wonders they had seen.” There were people who had met Jesus and walked with Him. People had seen His miracles such as the multiplication of the fish and bread, healing the sick, casting out demons, and forgiveness of sins. People had seen and experienced how Jesus changed lives. He is still triumphant and changing lives today. Let’s be sure to share this good news with others!

Jesus was the suffering Servant.
Each of the four Gospels relate some events leading up to Good Friday (Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:17-21; Luke 22:14-23 and John 13:1-11). Much of Thursday was in preparation for the evening Passover meal with Jesus and His disciples. During the meal, Jesus revealed that Judas Iscariot would betray Him and that the other disciples would be scattered. Jesus also gave new meaning to the bread and vine, representing His broken body and shed blood. This is called the Last Supper or the Lord’s Supper, which has become an enduring way of remembering how much Jesus suffered for our salvation. Sometime during this meal, Jesus also served His disciples by washing their feet. After the meal, Judas went to the Jewish leaders and betrayed Jesus. Jesus and the other disciples went to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. It was there that Judas led an armed group to arrest Jesus. They took Him to be condemned to death by Romans and Jewish leaders. Let us not forget how Jesus became our Suffering Servant.

Good Friday
Good Friday is a day of devotion and prayer among many Christians. Good Friday is also a holiday in some countries. It commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ as we remember the sacrifices and suffering in Jesus' life. Many Christians attend special Good Friday worship services. Some services take place about 3:00 p.m. since this symbolizes the time that Jesus Christ died on the cross. John 19:25-27 records that “Standing close to Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there; so he said to his mother, ‘He is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘She is your mother.’ From that time the disciple took her to live in his home.” Let’s find ways to pass along to others the goodness Christ has brought to our lives.

Jesus Christ is alive!
On Easter Sunday, we will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter Sunday is a time of rejoicing because Jesus rose from the grave. Jesus is “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). His resurrection is the source of hope for Christians for our own resurrection at the Second Coming. This is when all believers are raised to new life to live in God’s eternal presence. We read in John 20:1-2 that “Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been taken away from the entrance. She went running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and told them…”

With whom can you share the good news of Easter this year?