We made an Easter tree & hung pastel coloured eggs on its branches -& Caris added a gingham bird cut from a Cath Kidston template & hand-sewn with love!
Last week, I stopped to look at some Easter cards en route to do some grocery shopping. Fluffy chicks & bunnies, cuddly bears with rabbit ears- on pastel green & pale yellow cards, with warm & cosy sentiments written on them.
I smiled at the cute pictures, then stopped & stepped back to do a quick reality check. These are not the real colours of Easter!
In the Wordless Book that we shared at Whizz Kidz, the colour of Easter is red.
Deep red. Crimson red- the colour of blood.
For, the real Easter is not fluffy & cute.
It’s torture. Brutal. Real.
Nails hammered deep.
Love deeper still,
Keeping Him on the cross.
Creator tortured by His creatures,
That he might bridge the chasm made by sin.
The Light of the World, totally eclipsed by darkness,
as the midday sun fell from its orb.
‘Hands that flung stars into space, to cruel nails surrendered’(Graham Kendrick)
The Good Shepherd became the Lamb:
‘But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on Him the sins of us all’
(Isaiah 53:5&6-MSG)
On Good Friday, consider the only One good enough to pay the price for our sins.
He was punished that we may go free.
He died that we may truly live.
He took our sin,that we might gain His righteousness.
He took our shame, that we might know the hope of glory.
On this day, remember, because of Jesus, because of the cross:
‘He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west’ (Psalm 103:12-MSG)
And as the Casting Crowns lyrics say:
‘Tell me just how far the East is from the West –
one scarred hand to the other’
Blessings,
Ruth x
Blessed! 