Assembly of God
by Sheryl Franco
Co-Pastor
Easter was never about the Bunny at our house. We had great parents who, of course, indulged in our desire to create a huge mess dyeing eggs, almost ensuring we would have blue- and greenstained fingers for church on Sunday to complement our new outfits. I knew the Easter story from the Bible very well. I knew Jesus died for my sins and had accepted him into my heart when I was 5 years old. But it wasn’t until I was in my 40s and a seasoned pastor’s wife that the magnitude and importance of what happened on the cross became a soul-shattering realization that Jesus did it for me. As I sat at the piano that Easter Sunday morning, a new realization of God’s redeeming love and the sacrifice of Jesus flooded my soul. It was for me. It was personal. I know I was saved when I raised my hand to accept Jesus at 5 years old in a children’s revival service, but my soul was set ablaze that Sunday morning in a life-changing moment. If you have ever vacationed in a tropical destination, from your hotel window you may have seen sparkling turquoise water contrasted against brilliant white sand beaches and vivid sapphire skies. It’s a magnificent view. But until you let the white sand run through your fingers and wade neck-deep into the warm water, you are detached from the reality of the experience. You haven’t experienced it personally until you are physically immersed in it. That’s what happened to me that Easter Sunday morning; something clicked in my spirit that took me from knowing about God’s love and sacrifice for me to being convinced of it.
As you read the biblical account of the Easter story this year, put yourself in the crowd. Feel the suffocating press of the throng around you, shouting curses at the one for whom they cheered only days before. Hear the rooster crow as Peter denies Jesus for the third time. A man has been forced by the soldiers to carry Jesus’ cross along the road to Golgotha. Its heavy beam scrapes and squeaks along the stones as he passes by. At the top of the hill, people are mocking and taunting the battered and bruised man about to be crucified. Some at the back of the crowd are muffling their cries of anguish as their brother, their friend, their son, faces a humiliating, excruciatingly pain- ful death. About noon, the sky grows strangely black. People are confused and frightened by the sudden change. The atmosphere changes from riotous clamor to watchful, subdued murmuring. Around 3 p.m., Jesus calls out loudly twice. His final statement is “It is finished.” At that moment, the curtain in the temple is inexplicably ripped from top to bottom by no human hand. Priests, pharisees, political leaders, common people, all are perplexed and confounded by these unnatural events. Something has changed drastically and forever. There is a shift in the relationship between God and man, brought about by the sacrifice of Jesus. With his death, politicians, officials and skeptics have rid themselves of a nagging thorn in their side. Ah, but in the words of Tony Campolo: “Sunday is coming.” Jesus’ death is not the end of the story.
There is a Resurrection Sunday morning ahead for Jesus’ followers, for his disciples, for all believers everywhere, for me and for you. The sky might be black now, and circumstances may not make sense today, but there is a resurrection morning ahead that will make everything clear.
Immerse yourself in the truth of the resurrection this Easter. Let the mercy and grace of God wash over you. Wade neck-deep into his truth and feel the message of reconciliation run through your fingers. Make this Easter a celebration of renewed life in Christ, new victories, marking a fresh season of spiritual growth in your own life as you acknowledge Jesus’ sacrifice for you personally, not just the world at large.
Join us in the Amphitheater at 11 a.m. on Easter Sunday, April 4, as we celebrate together the promise of new beginnings, new life, and a new and even richer season in our journey with God.
