It’s Easter, the holiest day on the Christian calendar. For believers, this day marks the celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection; His victory over death and our eternal hope and redemption. For non-believers it’s another holiday on the calendar filled with brightly colored Easter eggs, candy baskets and bunnies. As a kid I was drawn to all that. I still am. The ushering in of springtime; the vibrant smells and sounds in the air as the earth reawakens. The feasts and family gatherings; the delightfully exhausting dance of parents and children on the lawn as they revel in sunshine and egg hunts. Easter is fun! In the midst of the fun, though, I’ve always known of its deeper meaning.
I was born and raised in a Christian home. I was blessed to have parents who not only told me about Jesus’ love, they lived it. Jesus was revealed to me in my mom’s gentle nature and her forgiving heart. Jesus was revealed to me in my father’s selfless service and generosity. Jesus was revealed to me in their acceptance of others. My parents taught my sisters, brothers and me to look beyond worldly differences – race, religion, politics, money – and instead focus on people’s hearts. Jesus was revealed to me through their kindness, their mercy, their faith and their faithfulness. He was revealed to me through their love.
My parents weren’t perfect; they’d be the first ones to tell you that. But they’d also be the first ones to tell you that because of their faith, they had hope. Faith gave their lives purpose and meaning.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whosever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
Spiritual longing
I became a Christian when I was six. My conversion experience was undeniable. For two weeks leading up to my public profession of faith I sat in the pew at Southside Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia, resisting an urge and tugging in my soul. In hindsight, I know Jesus was calling me. At the time, I only knew something was changing. Those of you who have experienced it know what I mean. For those who haven’t, it’s difficult to explain. I was six but my spirit was uneasy. I was six, painfully shy and unaccustomed to doing anything outside my mother’s coaxing. I was a child with a life not yet fully my own who had this sudden, deep, burning spiritual longing. I sat there two Sundays in a row knowing something – someone – was leading me, guiding me down a path I had to follow.
But…I was scared.
I told Mom what I was feeling and we spoke with the preacher. He explained the process to me. In the Baptist denomination it’s customary to go before the church during the invitational hymn at the end of the service to publicly profess your faith before being baptized. It’s not the public profession or baptism that save you – Jesus Christ did that on the cross – but they’re outward expressions of your salvation and new life in Christ. It’s a way to boldly proclaim to the world, ‘I’m a Christian.’ I asked Mom if she’d go to the front of the church with me. It stunned me when she said, “No.” She told me, “That’s your decision, Joy.”
Step of faith
The following Sunday, on February 20, 1972, I sat in the pew next to my mom and the same sense of urgency washed over me. Again I tried to ignore it but I couldn’t. As the invitation was offered and the congregation began singing, the blood rushed to my head. The whirring noise in my ears drowned out the familiar strains of my favorite hymn. My heart began racing and my palms started sweating. The physical manifestations of my spiritual longing could not be denied. I felt someone pushing me out of the pew. On any given day, at any given moment, pushing could be blamed on my brother, but not on that day, not in that moment; he was on the other end of the pew. Mom sat like a soft wall between us. I looked to see if she was pushing me, but she wasn’t. No human hands touched me. I glanced up at the preacher waiting at the end of the aisle and thought to myself, ‘That’s a long way.’ I didn’t want to walk it alone but I knew in my heart, in my gut, in my soul that I must. The pushing turned to pulling. Something – someone – was pulling me from the pew. Still, no human hands touched me. As the congregation sang another refrain of Just As I Am I anxiously moved toward the aisle. As my body moved, my mind reeled. ‘What am I going to say to him?’ I wondered, glancing back up at the preacher. My left foot hit the aisle, then my right. At that moment, that precise moment, a sense of absolute peace overcame me. My heart stopped racing, my palms stopped sweating and I could hear again. I listened to the familiar tune as I walked to the front of the church. Each stanza spoke what my heart cried:
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot;
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt;
Fightings within, and fears without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind;
Yes, all I need, in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Has broken every barrier down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
I was accompanied the rest of the way down the aisle that day; not pushed or pulled or prodded. Jesus walked with me. He still does. My faith in Him informs my life. Just like my parents, it gives me hope. My faith gives my life purpose and meaning.
Life changing
It’s difficult to describe the emotion that overhwhelms the Christian spirit on this holy day. Easter is a celebration of Christ’s victory over the grave and defeat of Satan in the fight for mankind. Yes, we’re living in troubled times. Just look around and you’ll see poverty, murder and mayhem. Read the news and you wonder how a loving God can allow such atrocities. Extremism runs rampant. People lay claim to the Bible and Quran to excuse and defend their wicked ways, money and power grabs. They criticize, threaten, intimidate and kill those who are different. It sometimes appears Satan is winning, but Christ holds the spiritual and moral high ground.
When I was six years old I chose to follow a Savior who came down from heaven to walk with me. He didn’t come as a powerful political or military leader. He didn’t come wrapped in riches and prestige. He came as a lowly carpenter’s son. He wasn’t the kind of Messiah mankind was looking for, but He was the Messiah billions of souls longed for. He is the Messiah souls still seek today.
How comforting to me to serve a Savior who can say, “Been there, done that.” He walked the same earth that I walk. He experienced the same joys and sorrows. He laughed and cried, lived and died and then, He arose. And to think, He did it because He loves me. How can I not worship a Savior like that? How can I not be struck by the life-changing impact His love has had on me and the world?
If Jesus was a charlatan – a fake, a liar, a nut – would the world still seek Him today? Would what He did over 2,000 years ago still tug at the soul of a six-year old child? Would it speak to the heart of a middle-aged man? Would Christ’s words, His teachings, His example still be followed today? Would what He did over 2,000 years ago even matter? If Jesus was a nut, would you even be reading this?
Christ’s message of love and forgiveness may seem simple, but therein lies its beauty and complexity. How beautiful to serve a God who commands you to love one another; how difficult to do. How beautiful to serve a God who loves you in spite of your sin; how difficult to accept you deserve mercy. How beautiful to serve a God who loves you enough to sacrifice his son for you; how difficult to fully comprehend the depth of such love.
“There is no sin God does not hate. There is no sinner God does not love.”
Unconditional Love
I’m now the mother of a 15-year old and my son is the most precious person in the world to me. Like all children (and adults) he can be disobedient and rebellious. We’ve had our run-ins and dust-ups but you know what, there’s nothing my son could ever do to make me stop loving him. Through motherhood, I’ve come to more fully grasp and appreciate God’s love. I can’t imagine losing my son, much less, willingly give him up.
But that is exactly what the Bible tells us God did. It’s there in black and white in the book of John, chapter three, verse 16. “For God so loved the world…”
During Easter service this morning, Bethlehem Baptist Church pastor Craig Ward said, “There is no sin God does not hate. There is no sinner God does not love.” Read it again. “There is no sin God does not hate. There is no sinner God does not love.”
That, my friend, is the essence of Easter.
Jesus was born, He lived, died and was resurrected to save us from our sins. Jesus saved us from our sins because God loves us.
Simple. Complex. Powerful. Life-changing.
That’s the message that tugged at my soul as a child. It’s the message that still tugs at my heart now. Today, it tugged a little bit harder as I joined fellow Christians in Habersham and around the world in celebrating Easter. It’s been a long day, a lovely day and a fun day, but most of all, it’s been a victorious day…Christ is risen.
Amen!
Easter in Habersham 2015
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