Easter blessings: being intentional

I think I may have just had the best Easter weekend of my entire life. Ever. As in, I am almost a week away from it, and I am still on an Easter high!!! It was both reviving and humbling, and a big reason why (other than God simply revealing Himself to me afresh) was this: being intentional.

I don't know if I have ever had such an intentional Easter. (Actually, I don't know if I have ever thought to use that word to describe Easter before in general.) It's always a nice holiday, sure, especially as a Christian... but I don't always meditate on the reason we celebrate. I don't always open my Bible and read the Easter story again. I don't always stop my busy life to remember and reflect on the Greatest Sacrifice of all time: what that was like, what it meant, what it means for me now.

But this year... I'm so glad I did.

It all started with Trey and I, in our weekly Bible studies together, deciding to take the week before Easter to read John 16-21, one chapter a night from the Easter story itself.  We have been reading different parts or continued segments of the Bible nightly (separately) each week and then get together on Sunday nights to discuss and reflect on what we read and to pray. Simply taking the time to read a chapter per night of this riveting story was an awesome set-up for Easter weekend. It was in my head and on my heart as we prepared to celebrate.

I had the day off on Good Friday, so I then took a short trip home to St. Pauls, just in time to attend my home church's Maundy Thursday service with my parents. Being a weeknight service, I can remember begrudgingly going to this when I was younger. But since I have actually known what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ, especially in my adult years since college, this service has come to mean so much more. We took communion and sang hymns, and it was all an extremely special time of fellowship and worship. Then we had a Service of Shadows, in which different readers read from different parts of Scripture to tell the Easter story. The last was the Shadow of Death... just hearing the words read aloud actually brought tears to my eyes. Can we even imagine the sacrifice??? I have always loved the scene of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane... "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." That is just indescribable.

I also got the chance to spend a little time with my little nephew while at home—he is growing so much! Just seeing him is a blessing, and I got to give him a few "first Easter" goodies... one of which was a book of the Easter story. Inside I wrote him a little note from his Aunt Emmy and said that I hope this day will always be a reminder of God's love for him. That truly is one of my greatest hopes.

I returned to Wilmington on Saturday to volunteer at the 4:00 service we were having that night at PC3. (Six services this Easter: at 4 and 6 on Saturday, and the usual 9, 11, 4 and 6 on Sunday!!!) I am a teacher in one of the two 4-year-old classrooms on a weekly basis, but this weekend our preschool ministry staff was launching the new "4's theater" in which all the 4-year-olds would be together in the same room for each of the separate services. I was asked to be the "storyteller," in a somewhat skit-like format, which I was really excited about because reading the Bible story is always my favorite part. I got to tell the Easter story to my 4-year-olds at three different services last weekend (at the Saturday 4:00, and again at the Sunday morning 9:00 and 11:00).  I got to tell the children about the Last Supper and even act it out with my little table and pita bread and pitcher of water. I got to exclaim the Good News to them that Jesus came back—He really came back!—in THREE days, just like He said He would!!!!!  (One little boy was so excited by this that he cried out, "Yaaaaaaay!")  What a PRIVILEGE it was to share that with them and to get to see their little minds try to wrap around the enormous truth of God's love...

Before one of these services I volunteered for on Sunday, I remember feeling like I couldn't hardly WAIT to worship that night. Trey was getting in from Monroe that afternoon, and so we planned to attend the 6:00 together.  I went for a run through God's creation that afternoon in quiet worship of my own with Him beforehand... And then that night, just as I suspected, the service was SO powerful. The very first song was medley of "Jesus Paid It All" (on piano, cello and vocal) and "God Is Alive" (where they brought in another singer and four drummer boys.... AWESOME). I had tears in my eyes (yes, again!), and Trey and I both had hands in the air. What a powerful start to a great service. (Please watch it if you have time! http://www.portcitychurch.org/weekendcurrentseries.php) The anticipation and purpose for this night made the culmination soooo special and poignant for me.

All in all, it was just such a time of reflection and appreciation and worship and celebration. It was the best Easter I have ever had because it was exactly the way Easter should be. It truly represented the day's purpose. I found myself wanting to tell everyone what an awesome Easter I'd had, and WHY... I wanted to tell everyone the Reason for the Season!!! God truly blessed me last weekend with this fresh new revival in my heart and a renewed focus on Him. I pray that you were all just as blessed!