Oh, Happy Day!

I've kind of been avoiding this post because I didn't know exactly what I wanted to say...sometimes you just can't put the overflow of your heart into words.

That being said, my thoughts on Easter, in no particular order, with no conclusion or underlying theme, other than that Jesus is alive & pretty awesome:

1. The pastor at church Sunday said that, as Christians, Easter is our day.  It is the day that justifies EVERYTHING we believe.  I love that.
2. Also at church, we sang He Arose (you know?  low in the grave He lay...).  Of course.  Now, I'll admit...I have a hard time singing that song due to the fact that my mom & I made up some alternate lyrics to it years ago (that I could still sing to this day).  Without going into detail & embarrassing myself, the lyrics had nothing to do with Jesus & everything to do with making fun of my dad.  But this Easter when we sang it, the pastor made them flash the lights & make thunder sounds on the drum.  It was like this excitement welling up...exactly what it should be.  We think about Jesus' resurrection on Easter & probably other times throughout the year.  And I'd say I'm thankful for my salvation on a daily basis, but how often do we think about how incredible it is that we serve a LIVING God?  No matter how often it is, it's not enough.  But when we sang He Arose this year, I was excited...& barely thought about its other lyrics...
3. Some friends of mine were in NYC over Easter weekend.  They went to Times Square Church.  I LOVE that church.  It's in an old theater right in the heart of the city.  Going there you see a rainbow of people - there is no dominant race, social class, etc.  I think that's kind of a little glimpse of Heaven.  But anyway, my friends went on Easter morning.  They arrived 15 minutes before the service, the sanctuary was full, the chapel was full, they were ushered from one overflow room to the next, finding that they were ALL full.  So they didn't get to attend church on Easter Sunday...& all because there was NO ROOM.  In New York City.  How awesome is that???
4. The sermon on Sunday was set up like a trial: proving (or disproving) the existence of Christ as a Living Savior.  Not His existence when He actually walked the earth, but NOW.  I wish I could remember all of what he said (didn't have my faithful journal that day...).  The only time he used the Bible was to say that, at those times, at least 2 witnesses were needed to testify in any court case.  After that, he disqualified the Bible from the "trial," since it was kind of written/inspired by the Guy that we're proving/disproving the existence of.  So first he called on people to testify by standing up & sitting right back down if Jesus had done any of the following in their lives: solved a financial problem, healed you, provided guidance in a big decision, helped you overcome an addiction, etc.  Not everyone stood for every one, but there were definitely more than 2 standing for every single question.  Next, he wanted to prove/disprove by using public opinion.  This part will shock you.  In 2001, Sports Illustrated published an article called "Bouncing Back Big-time".  They took a poll of their readership asking what the great comebacks of all time are.  Some you would expect - Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, etc.  But the #1 greatest comeback of all time, by a LANDSLIDE was the resurrection of Jesus.  In SPORTS ILLUSTRATED.  Not like they polled people who read Guidepost or Home Life or something...that just blew me away.  The pastor went on with other examples, but in the end, he of course proved that, without a shadow of a doubt, Jesus was born to a virgin, existed as the man Who walked the earth teaching & performing miracles, was crucified, was resurrected, & lives today.  Wow.
5. Don't even know how to follow that up...so I'll just say this.  After this Easter, I felt it necessary to create an Easter playlist.  Thank you, iTunes.

So, yeah...Easter is great & this year I learned to appreciate it even more than usual.