Worthy is the lamb...

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It's a wonderful thing to experience Easter. I often wonder if people recognize the gravity of the holiday. Sure, it's fun to celebrate the coming of Spring with bunnies and chicks and pastels, but this holy day has nothing to do with painted eggs and lovely "Sunday-best" dresses. This is a celebration of freedom from the grave.

When Jesus was sent to Earth, He came to set captives free. He came to set you free... and me. We have been set free to experience joy instead of sorrow, laughter instead of tears and righteousness instead of the gut-wrenching sin to which we are naturally inclined. With two children under six in the home, I am often confronted with discussions about truth. What is true, and what does it mean?

Why did Jesus have to die for our sins? He died because when God the Father gave people the freedom to do absolutely everything except one tiny thing, we humans were unable to obey. We got as close to the forbidden thing as we possibly could, resting beneath the branches of the one tree instead of finding joy in all the other thousands of trees that we were permitted to enjoy fully.

If God the Father had not said no to that one thing, we never would have had the ability to choose whether we want to obey or not. We would not have had free will. So He said yes to EVERYTHING in the entire world. Everything. And He said no to only one thing. And we were curious. And we indulged our curiosity. And we chose to sever our relationship with God the Father, the direct and honest relationship where we could see Him and hear Him and touch Him.

Then He had to pull away, for His sake and for ours. He had to put space between us so He could be fair in giving us grace. The less we knew, the less would be counted against us. He spoke through prophets and through clouds and He gave clear instructions about what was right and what was wrong. He left nothing to chance this time, but He still left a choice. And we chose poorly. 

He had to find a way to allow us back into His presence without betraying His just character. Someone had to bear the punishment. Someone perfect. Someone willing to pay the ultimate price. Jesus. 

And that is why Jesus had to die. He died so God could allow us to be friends with Him again. Now God doesn't even look at us directly. He looks at us through Jesus. And we look GOOD. 

Blessings for your Easter celebration. May you share a table with those you love. May you be filled with joy at the absolutely incredible mercy of our God.

If you are interested in any of the table setting items, please take a look at the links below.