We Need Easter
Posted by Martha Wilson, April 3, 2023
We need Easter.
Not a new dress, shoes, or purse.
Not eggs, bunnies, or jelly beans.
Not a picnic, egg hunt, or even a family gathering.
We need Jesus.
We need the cross.
We need the blood
We need His prayer.
We need the tomb.
We need resurrection.
We need new life.
We need victory in Jesus.
Does anyone besides me need a real Easter? A true “come to the Cross” Easter?
Here we are, just a couple of days before Easter Sunday. I pause and reflect as my first thoughts return to my childhood memories of dying the eggs. Baskets beside the door awaiting the Easter Bunny to fill. There were always new dresses, patent leather shoes, and a matching new purse. The family huddled on the church pew as we sang, “Up from the grave He arose.” (Ok, readers, I can’t continue to type without recalling the old forgotten hymn.)
“Up from the grave He arose.
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes.
He arose a victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever, with His saints to reign
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah, Christ arose.”
My mind quickly sprints to the saddest yet most glorious Easter I’ve ever experienced. It was Easter 2020 when church doors were tightly shut, and no one gathered to celebrate our risen Lord. No preparations were made for celebrating, and we were filled with shock, unbelief, loneliness, and sadness.
The tap on my shoulder woke me early that morning as my husband invited me to join him for the sunrise service. As I brushed the sleep from my eyes, I reminded him there were no Easter gatherings this year. He strongly disagreed while coaxing me to get dressed, and quickly join him in the car. Off to the cemetery across from the church, we drove. We, the living, tip-toed around the tombstones and there positioned our chairs. The chairs were in tow, along with the thermos of hot coffee. Amid the darkness and symbols of death, we sat among the graves, waiting for the sun to break through.
As we settled into the silence, the choir was awakened. Ed joined the birds singing every old Easter song he could recall. Tears flowed down our cheeks as we shared the purest worship ever. There were no flashing lights, instruments, or words on a screen, but our love for our risen Lord was written on our hearts, and worship overflowed. Two hearts were longing to remember and honor our Lord.
Suddenly a peek of light began to climb into the sky. The colors on God’s pallet that morning were more beautiful than any dyed easter egg I had ever seen. The color filled the sky, and joy flooded our hearts. We recalled when the same had happened in our lives. Both as young children, we had accepted Jesus as our Saviour. The dead came to life because Jesus went to the cross. He totally changed our lives.
Just as the tomb could not hold Him, nothing could stop our worship.
No locked church doors can keep Him from expressing Himself, nor keep us, the living, from worshipping our Lord.
Pause and remember! Hush the noise and sit in the silence and Remember.
That first Easter morning, He changed everything. This cross, this grave, this empty tomb, this Resurrection suddenly changed everything. Lift your eyes from the tombs you sit among daily and watch for His glorious light to burst through the darkness.
Go, shine His light to this dark world. Go tell your Easter story.
Once I was blind, but now I can see.
Once I was lost, but now I am found.
Once I was stained, but now I am clean.
Once I was tormented, but now I am free.
Darkness turned to Light. Death turned to Life.
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
Martha Wilson is a writer, speaker, blogger and co-host of “A Burst of Hope” weekly podcast. She is the founder and director of Touching Hearts Ministries for women. She has led women to pursue an intimate relationship with Jesus for most of her adult life. She is bold, tender, and transparent as she teaches women to embrace powerful Biblical truths. Martha and her husband, Ed, live in Fayetteville, Georgia, and enjoy their blended family of five children, eight grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter. You can connect with Martha at: Facebook and Instagram @TouchingHeartsMinistries or listen to the A Burst of Hope Podcast.