Dear Northside
It has been a difficult weekend because my sports teams and players did not do too well. Especially, when Ireland lost to England by one point in the 6-nations rugby. But as I reflected on this I thought, it’s just a few games. There will be more games and it’s not life or death stuff, is it?
And then I thought about Easter and especially Good Friday. We are spending the 40-days of Lent to prepare ourselves. Good Friday looked like a huge loss. The Messiah, the Son of God (who so we thought) hanging on a cross all alone and then dying. All of creation mourned in darkness, hell rejoiced. But it wasn’t a loss at all. In fact, Jesus’ death on the cross was the greatest victory the world has known. The sinless One, died in our place, taking all our sins upon Himself and suffering the wrath of God on our behalf. For us as believers, Good Friday is the most powerful and important day in the year, for it is on the Cross and by dying that Jesus Christ won our salvation.
Yes, the resurrection is incredible, but it is only the victory parade. It is the proof that Good Friday was in fact GOOD!
And today, having Jesus in our lives, in the exciting and sad times, makes all the difference!
Here are 5 verses that can help us prepare ourselves for the greatest day in history!
While Easter is often associated with bunnies, eggs, and baskets full of candy, it’s important to remember the real reason we are rejoicing! This is the perfect time to help us deepen our understanding of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. And share these 5 inspiring verses with our children!
Luke 24:2-3
“They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.”
1 Peter 1:3
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Luke 24:6-7
“He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’”
Matthew 28:5-6
“The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.’”
Romans 6:8-9
“Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.”
Let us continue to MAKE JESUS KNOWN this Easter. Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. God bless, Pastor Gary