I woke up Good Friday morning contemplating Easter and all that this weekend represents. I honestly haven’t given it much thought this week. The tyranny of the urgent has taken over, and the important ponderings of this Holy Week have been pushed aside. Yesterday morning, I sat in quiet (well, not real quite because #threekids), but I drank my coffee from a mug on the couch instead of in the car while fighting traffic. To me, that’s quiet.
My mind races over all the various verses I could share about what Easter means:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:16-17
But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:9
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Hebrews 2:14-15
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26
Today marks the darkest day in history, but for us, we have the whole story. Today isn’t dark. Today is full of HOPE. Because of Good Friday, because of this dark Saturday, we know there is hope in the darkness.
Many of you have asked about my husband as I’ve run into you around town, and it has taken me four months to be able to put these words in print: Kris is doing SO well! Back in November, he was declared in clinical remission. We truly believe it was a miracle.
Remission with an auto-immune disease doesn’t mean you are healed, it means the disease isn’t active at this time. We’ve spent the last four months figuring out what this means for us: what can we add back in? what do we continue in? what needs to be removed? In many ways, I felt a lifting of darkness over our lives. Four months in, he is a new man and we are a new family. We are learning we still have to manage Kris’ energy, which means still keep tight reigns on our social schedule. We are learning what foods his body can handle now, like vegetables and red meat. We are sticking with some of the food restrictions and overall gut health regimen. Y’all – we laugh again. We sleep again. We were even able to go on vacation as a family over spring break. That was a dream come true for me!
The last two years have been dark for us, but Jesus never let go. He has been beside us, before us, and behind us the entire journey. This weekend means more to us than ever before. Our God loves us so deeply that he sent his Son to die for us. Jesus humbled himself – took all of his God power, stuffed them inside human skin and walked among His beloved creation. He was beaten, bruised, pierced – all for our sin. He took upon himself the weight of every sin that ever was and ever would be committed. His sacrifice once and for all did what thousands of sacrifices by priests in a temple couldn’t do. On the third day, he burst forth from the grave – defeating sin, defeating death, defeating Satan. He walked out of that grave carrying Hope. Hope that one day, we would live in a world with no more pain, no more disease, no tears. He came so that we could find hope in the darkness. Hope that he would grow us more like Jesus through the process (Romans 5:1-5). Hope that brings freedom. Hope that brings joy. Hope that does not disappoint.
Today is a day of Hope. Today is a Good Day. Praise God!
Erin H. Warren 