Easter more than baskets, bunnies and eggs

When my dad pastored a church in eastern Wyoming during my elementary years, we had traditions for celebrating Easter. We had new Easter outfits. (We probably needed them since we grew all the time out of our clothes and shoes.) Before the big day Karin, Paul, and I colored eggs with Mom. (I’m sure she had to scrub down the kitchen when we were finished.) We knew that later, after dinner Dad had a hunt planned. No, not for eggs.

Our parents bought each of us a large chocolate something, a cross, bunny, egg, etc. He’d hide them in the living room, and we had to find and claim one for ourselves. Since dad was into health, we were allowed to enjoy some of the chocolate, but only in moderation so the chocolate lasted for several days. It tasted all the better for eating it slowly.

Before sunrise Easter morning, we, followed by others from the congregation, drove up the hill to the former church location where the large cross still overlooked the small oil town of Lance Creek. When the sun rose, we had a beautiful view as we listened to dad share about that glorious first Easter morning.

From the sunrise service, we drove west to the Covenant church where the ladies had prepared a breakfast guaranteed to fill up even the hungriest person. The church service was one of rejoicing with songs such as, “Up from the Grave He Arose.” Dad’s sermon brought us from the commercial aspects already creeping into Easter celebrations to the true meaning of the day.

The baby born in the manger didn’t come simply to give us a joyful Christmas holiday, He came for a much more serious reason. Jesus, the Creator God, came to bring hope to a people living in darkness. He came to bring light. As an adult, he healed, raised the dead, and set individuals free as He shared His love and compassion with His creation.

He wasn’t afraid to confront the religious leaders who made all sorts of regulations, but used them not to help, but to separate their people from their finances and their God. Most of them hated Him for uncovering their actions. Others hated Him for calling out their greed, pride, selfishness, and other sins. They hated Him enough to conspire to torture and murder Him with the extreme cruelty of a crucification.

He was a man. He was God, but He willingly sacrificed His life. Why? Because there are always consequences for wrong choices and actions. He died to take the consequences we deserved. He died to offer a better tomorrow. He did more, He rose again, conquering death itself. He rose to offer forgiveness instead of guilt and a personal relationship with the Creator. To those who accepted and followed, He offered light in the darkness, life for death, and the assurance that we are never alone.

Beyond the new clothes, baskets, candy, and more, all of which are quickly discarded, Easter is about Jesus who loves you and me so much, He gave up everything to offer the one thing we need more than about anything else, especially in today’s world, --hope.

Happy Easter!

(c) 2022 Carolyn R Scheidies

Column published in Kearney Hub 2022 April 4

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Blog Easter--it's our day of hope

We live in a time of fear and hopelessness as many are losing hope that getting back to “normal” will ever happen again. What we forget along the way is fear is no way to live. When we fear, we stop thinking and acting rationally.

Fear and Easter do not mix. In fact, Easter is all about freedom from fear. Easter is the culmination of a very special plan for humankind. We are the creation of a loving being, that chose to give those created a very special gift. Instead of making robots who slavishly did whatever the Creator demanded, the Creator created human beings with minds and hearts and gave those humans the gift of choice.

Since the Creator wished to have a real relationship with those created, the Creator included the choice to say no. Being able to say, “No,” meant humans early on made devasting choices that separated them from the loving God who created them. They began to quarrel and fight and steal and kill as they turned their backs on the very one who had a better plan—one of caring, peace, and hope.

Yet, some strove to follow, even when following proved difficult, even when it meant suffering. The life and love they found in their Creator were worth anything. But these humans only had a glimpse of God’s plan, one that looked forward to a day when the Creator would be revealed as Someone very special. That person was and is Jesus.

Jesus didn’t come simply to show His power but instead came not as a king, but as a servant. He showed how to reach out to care, heal and set free those held captive in pain and hurt and bad choices.

For His actions and teachings, the government and religious leaders hated Him and eventually executed Him. They had no idea Jesus came for that very purpose. He did no wrong. Yet took on Himself all the mistakes, flaws and fears that burden and destroy those He’d created. Jesus died that we might live and proved His power to do so by rising again, as attested to even by the secular sources of the day.

Our Creator is not dead. In power and purpose and love He lives, interacting with and changing lives for the better from that time to this. The cross has become a symbol, not of evil and suffering, but of salvation, peace, and hope. I John 4:18 (NASB) reads, There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

Love casts out fear when we allow our Creator to become our savior. John 3:16-17 is the key to life, love, hope, and Easter. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.”

Get rid of fear? Remember love and peace, as well as fear, is a choice. Ask Jesus to show you a love that doesn’t change with circumstances; a love that casts out fear as Easter morning dawns in your heart.

Happy Easter!

© 2021 Carolyn R Scheidies

Published in Kearney Hub 3/29/2021
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Devotion The Key to Wisdom

The fear of the Lord is where wisdom begins, and knowing holiness demonstrates understanding. Proverbs 9:10 ISV

Wisdom is centered not in human law or ancient writings, though some wisdom can be found here. Experience also helps us on the journey to wisdom. While all these offer a certain knowledge, the deepest wisdom keys in on one central action—choice.

We choose whom we listen to and who and what we follow. If wisdom begins with God, then true wisdom comes from getting to know this God who created the world and us—you and me. If we truly wish to become wise, we need to read God's Word, meditate on His Word and develop a relationship with God's Son—Jesus Christ. It is in following Him to righteousness, holiness, truth that we truly gain wisdom.

What better time to begin to follow Jesus than at Easter that celebrates the One who rose from the grave to offer us new life and hope in Him. That is the wisest choice of all.

(c) 2015, 2020 Carolyn R Scheidies

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Blog Liar, lunatic or Lord

Easter eggs proclaim new birth, spring heralds a new beginning, but what we all need is not just a celebration, but hope. Easter is about hope, about truth, about love—about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the embodiment of hope, of truth, and most of all of love.

The story is simple yet profound. Because we as God’s creation keep making a mess of our lives, often determined to “do out own thing” even when it leaves us empty and unfulfilled, God made a way for us to have a new beginning.

When the time was right, he sent his son Jesus into the world as a baby—this is Christmas—to experience everything we experience. There was one difference, unlike the rest of us, Jesus chose to always do those things that were good and right. He shared a message of hope, love and forgiveness. He healed the sick, even raised the dead, showing that He was exactly who he proclaimed he was—God.

That was too much for certain leaders in his day. They demanded Jesus’ death, a death that had been foretold hundreds of years earlier. Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection fulfilled so many prophecies; the odds that anyone could have faked the fulfillment are astronomical.

Many believe Jesus is a good man, but not God. Yet, we have three options. Either he was a liar, a lunatic or, exactly what he claimed, Lord. A good man would not try to deceive people by saying, “"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 NIV That would make him a liar.

He could have been a lunatic, except his message was simple and clear. He said he had the answer to people’s need for acceptance, forgiveness and hope. He died for his belief. If he deceived himself as well as others, he was tragic, but certainly not worthy of our admiration.

If he was neither a lunatic nor a liar, we have one choice. Jesus was who he said he was, God. We’ve all done those things for which we’re ashamed and for which we deserve punishment. Because he had done no wrong, Jesus was able to do what no one else could do, take on himself the punishment we deserve for the wrongs we’ve done. He died for our wrongs, but more, he rose again, conquering death and hell and sin. Because he lives Jesus can offer us hope. All we need do is to recognize we can’t make it on our own and accept his offer of forgiveness, a new start, a new life with Christ as our friend, our savior, our guide.

Jesus said it best. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

May you come to know and follow Jesus this Easter.

© 2004, 2020 Carolyn R. ScheidiesFeel free to share