New life! Nothing brings me more joy than holding a newborn baby! I love seeing those little ngers and toes and listening to the sweet sounds coming from a newborn. Jeremiah 1:5 says, Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. He has great plans for our lives and has gifted each of us to do His work! During the season of Lent, we are reminded that Jesus died so that each of us could have new life! 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here. What a beautiful image!
While God carefully formed each of us, He also knew we’d be tempted into sin. Part of His amazing plan is His gift of Jesus’ life-giving death and resurrection. John 3:17 says, “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
The Easter Bunny is always the most popular attraction at our annual St. Luke’s Easter Egg Hunt. This character was first introduced as a symbol of the holiday
in the United States in the 1700s, when German immigrants brought over their egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” According to legend, the pagan goddess of spring, Eostre, once saved a bird whose wings had frozen during the winter by turning it into a rabbit. Because the rabbit had once been a bird, it could lay eggs. The tradition goes that their children would make nests for the hare, so it had a place to lay its colored eggs. Over the years, we’ve added baskets with colored grass to replace the nests, and many things have ended up in those baskets; chocolate candy, Peeps, toys, and colored eggs.
While we can all enjoy the candy and eggs, our annual celebration of Easter gives the Christian believer the opportunity to tell others about the new life we have in Christ! In John 10:10 Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Isn’t this what we want for ourselves, and others?
John 11:25 beautifully expresses this hope: Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die!”
Just like a newborn baby, each of us can experience new life when we come to know Jesus as our Savior. Easter is a wonderful time to tell a hurting world about our hope – the resurrecting power of Jesus Christ!
Susan Easttom, Director of Family Ministries
