Wednesday 29 April 2015

Friday 17 April 2015

Easter and the crucified savour remembered

Easter means Eternal life

As Christmas is celebrating Jesus' birth, Easter is celebrating Jesus' victory over death and mankind's hope for eternal life.



The highlights behind the Easter story include Jesus' execution, His burial and, most importantly, His rising from death.








The account of Jesus' rising from death was recorded in the most authoritative historical records, the Gospel books: Three days after His death, a few women first found His tomb empty. Then Jesus appeared in front of these women and His disciples, talking and eating with them. Out of doubts still, one disciple did not believe Jesus was alive again until he actually touched Jesus' fatal wounds.  In the following forty days, the people witnessed the living Jesus who had amazingly returned from death having endured such a terrible death. He then ascended to Heaven and left us a legacy of good over evil.

Before His death, Jesus had promised eternal life to those who followed Him. If the story ended at His death, Jesus would have been no more than a religious figure with a finite life span. But the fact the Jesus rose from death demonstrated He has the power over death, and only through Him can people have hope for eternal life.  Jesus said,  "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).



Easter is often demoted to just a time of giving eggs and those being mainly chocolate.
However on the Christian map Easter is just as important as Christmas. Christmas marks the birth of Christ whilst Easter marks both the death of Christ and also the rebirth or resurrection.
Easter is the day when we celebrate Jesus Christ rising from the dead. Jesus is the Son of God and heroically gave His life to die for our sins. On the third day after He died -- the day we now celebrate as Easter Sunday -- His friends went to His grave, and found that He had risen from the dead. They saw an angel who told them, "Don't be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn't here! He has been raised from the dead, just as He said it would happen."

Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday; now He offers to you the gift of eternal life and forgiveness of sins.