Speak Now: Easter!

Can you imagine what it would have been like to be alive that fateful Saturday 2,000 years ago? Driving down for an afternoon at the beach with Kurt's family we passed a church with black fabric draped around the cross. This has always been a powerful image for me, but this year my senses were a little more heightened to how magnificent a holiday Easter really is.

For the first time, I decided to participate in Lent. I gave up sweets, which to my suprise was easier said then done. It even put little stress on mine and Kurt's relationship a couple times : ) Just goes to show you how addicted I am. As this new experience unfolded I was continually counting down the days until Easter, just anticipating when I could ease my sweet tooth once again. As Easter came closer, however, it was not the sweets, bunnies, or eggs that captured my attention as they had in the past. It was my Savior and my God. I noticed Passover week written in red on my calander (that I had been checking like a mad woman due to my sugar withdrawls). Coinsidently I was just finishing up Genisis in my quiet time and begining Exodus. Reading about the Exodus of God's people over Passover week opened my eyes. God raised his people up out of their slavery in Egypt, and with the sacrifice of His son, He raised us up out of the slavery and bondage of our world.

As I continued thinking over this, the weekend finally came! Friday was upon me, and Christ was crucified, BUT I knew how it ended. Seeing the cross draped with black on Saturday reminded me that 2,000 years ago my brothers and sisters did not know how it was going to end. That Saturday was the worst day that could ever be imagined. Their hope was gone. They were scared. All meaning in life ripped away.

This contrast of darkness, with the light the next day would bring, made it all the more exciting for me. The hope that Easter brings to a hopeless world became REAL! I knew my Savior was going to rise in the morning and I could hardly go to sleep!

I talked Kurt into getting up at 6 with me and having our own sunrise service, together, just us and God. Leave it to me to over sleep! I woke up, looked at my clock and it was 6:45! Thinking I missed the sunrise I jumped out of bed and ran outside. It was cloudy. So technically I did not miss the sunrise, at least thats what I decided to pretend. We just sat side by side on his parent's deck, praying, having no words to express our gratitude and excitement that our God and His son CHOSE to save us in all our imperfections. Then, reading through all of the versions of the resurrection, we tried to imagine what it would have been like to be Mary, Peter, or Thomas! It was truely an intimate morning we were able to share with each other and our Father.

Here are some pictures from the weekend!