
easter is the most wonderful day of the year. it is the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! yes, we as christians celebrate our risen Lord with our daily lives all year long, but what a glorious day to join with brothers and sisters in Christ to proclaim, "He is risen! He is risen indeed! alleluia!" our pastor made an awesome point in sunday's sermon:
without easter, christmas means nothing.
what a precious gift God gave in sending His Son to this earth as a baby... but praise God that the story doesn't end there! Jesus Christ grew up from a baby to a man, a perfect man without sin. and while i did nothing to deserve His love, He died on the cross to pay for my sins. He was buried, and He rose from the earthly grave! He lives today! Jesus Christ triumphed over death and saved me when i was dead in my sins! my justification is wrapped up in HIS works, and i am being sanctified every day by the refining fire of the Holy Spirit. i boast only in the cross of Jesus Christ and daily lean on His grace...all for the glory of our God! now THAT is something to celebrate!
really, without easter, my life means nothing. and as a christian, i cannot help but share that story. i cannot hide behind the easter bunny as "the reason to celebrate"... if my daily aim is to glorify God and to point my children to the cross, i must strive to speak the Truth in everything. and american consumerism cannot get in the way. i fail in this area on a daily basis, i know, but i must keep looking to the cross. praise God for His mercy and grace. praise God for His risen Son, Jesus Christ.
my dear friend sums it up in this poem. i hope you'll read it and remember that He is risen!
here's a little about our easter...
after church on sunday, we celebrated easter with a wonderful lunch at jeff & kristie's with brian's parents, my mom, and kristie's parents. here's a few pictures from our afternoon... i meant to get some with the rest of the family, and i guess i was just a little excited about the food and forgot!

ethan's first time to actually hold caroline.
3 generations
saturday night-preparing for sunday
"hurt! hurt!" ok, so maybe the coat is a little too snug...
meanwhile, caroline was very happy with her easter dress!

hope your easter was a blessed one...