My Favorite Easter Egg Hunt Memory by Wendy L. Macdonald

 

An Easter egg hunt that stands out in my memory is one my children enjoyed at their grandparent’s house. It reminds me of a valuable life lesson. 

My husband and I brought our camper to Pender Island and parked it in my mother’s driveway. The makeshift camping spot overlooked a winding stone stairway bordered by spring flowers on either side. Daffodils, hyacinths, crocuses, tulips, and flowering shrubs painted a lovely view for us to wake up to on Easter Sunday.

While the children finished off their breakfast in the company of their grandparents, my husband and I hid cheerful, foil-covered chocolate eggs along the edges of the path that wound its way around the entire half-acre property.

Our children were aged 3, 5, and 7 at the time. They were old enough to seek and savor each egg without help or coaxing. All we adults had to do was watch and enjoy the gleeful little ones roam the gardens. 

Each child had their own method and style of searching. One child was as quick and quiet as a bunny. Another child was as boisterous as a basketful of peeping chicks. The youngest was slow but sure at finding some eggs tucked in low spots the older ones overlooked.    

I don’t remember who was the best hunter, but I have my suspicions who it was. In the end, we made sure each child had plenty of eggs to eat. Sweets were normally limited in their diets, so the Easter egg hunt was an especially delicious event for them. We began the tradition on our country property and then carried it over to our home in town too. 

Hunting for treasures in God’s Word is a sweet treat we’re invited to partake of every morning. Being like little children on the hunt for chocolate eggs will serve us well when we read our Bibles. We are wise to trust our Father to provide us with goodness. Just as none of the foil-wrapped treats the children found turned out to be a stone, God always gives us sweet edibles for the soul too. And just as caring parents ensure each child has enough, God watches over us and fills our baskets with just the right amount of encouragement and strength we need.

The life lesson the children’s Easter egg hunt reminded me of is we’re not to worry we won’t have enough. We don’t need to compare the number of eggs in our baskets with how many other people have. God’s got this. He gives us exactly what we need when we need it.

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8 NIV

I’m nosy-to-know if you have a favorite Easter egg hunt memory too?

Blessings ~ Wendy Mac

It is Finished by Carol Harrison

      

 

It is Finished

 

Mocking crowds
Shaking earth
Crumbling rocks
      As the mid-day darkens like midnight
                               Fear strikes men's hearts. 

                                 Bruised bloodied
                              Father God
                              Forgive them
                             Jesus' final cry - it is finished
                                 Hope disappears

                               Body wrapped
                               Buried in
                             Borrowed tomb
                                    As Roman soldiers seal the entrance
                                  Followers mourn.

                                   Third day dawns
                                Women find
                                  Empty tomb
                                 As the Risen Messiah's revealed
                             Death defeated

                              God's great love
                              Mercy and grace
                            Paid in full
                                  Through Jesus the Sacrificial Lamb
                           Our penalty.

Carol Harrison writes, speaks, tells stories and loves to help others find their voice and reach their fullest potential. She loves to share stories of God's amazing love and how that looks in everyday experiences.
                                   

Easter in Isolation by Steph Beth Nickel

COVID-19 has affected everything—including how we celebrate the Lord’s death and resurrection.

For the second year in a row … No joint services. No potlucks. No large family gatherings to celebrate the most important weekend on the Christian calendar.

And even if restrictions are lifted to a degree, there are still those who will not be able to attend services and small family get-togethers. The elderly. Those dealing with health issues of various kinds. Others in the high-risk category.

The past year has taken a toll on all of us, on some far more than others.

But even a worldwide pandemic can’t change …

The fact that God the Father sent His Son to die on Calvary FOR US! (John 3:16)

Death could not contain our Saviour!

We can cast our cares on Him. (1 Peter 5:7)

His yoke truly is easy and His burden light—even when it doesn’t feel like it. (Matthew 11:30)

He works out all things—worldwide pandemics included—for the good of His children. (Romans 8:28)

Some two millennia later, we can worship together—possibly, from the comfort of our living room couch. Watching the livestream of a church service isn’t the same as meeting in person, but it can keep us connected.

We can celebrate together with friends and family—even if it is over Zoom.

How can we bless others—even during these crazy days?

It seems strange to suggest putting yourself first, but it’s important. Before we can pour out into others, we must fill our spiritual well. It’s vital that we spend time in God’s Word and prayer, that we fellowship with other believers—if not in person, by phone or over the Internet.

Send a voicemail or video rather than simply firing off a text. You may even want to download the Marco Polo app or Voxer.

Start a Facebook group for family and friends where you can “hang out” together.

Get hold of your church directory and message those you haven’t seen in some time. If they’re not online—or even if they are, you can pop a note or Easter card in the mail. You never know what a difference it can make.

Prep a meal for a shut-in.

Offer to shop for someone who’s sick.

Go for a walk in the park with a friend.

Meet a friend for coffee if your local coffeeshop is open.

Offer to be a listening ear to those who are hurting. People don’t always need someone to steer them in the right direction. Sometimes, they just need a sounding board.

How can we take care of ourselves during this time?

As I mentioned, we must take care of our spiritual wellbeing.

The practice of spiritual disciplines doesn’t guarantee emotional health. This past year has been difficult for those who previously were unfamiliar with depression, anxiety, and PTSD. And for many who dealt with these conditions pre-COVID, it has been almost unbearable.

I’m not a therapist nor a psychiatrist, but if you know someone who is struggling, I encourage you to be that sounding board. And if you’re dealing with mental health issues, please reach out.

And Church, please DO NOT make those who struggle feel lesser in any way.

Our spiritual and emotional health are also wrapped up with our physical wellbeing. Need to make some changes? Don’t try to do everything at once. Take small steps in the right direction. Make lifestyle changes one by one. Add more physical activity to your schedule. Add resistance training to your schedule; even bodyweight exercises and the use of light weights can have long term benefits. Make healthier food choices. Drink more water. Get adequate sleep.

As we care for ourselves—and others—we’ll be better able to celebrate our Lord’s death and resurrection more wholeheartedly—whether we do so in person with other believers or within the walls of our own home.

 

Easter by Dayna Mazzuca

 Easter is the counterpoint of Christmas and both are wonderful, but I’m not sure which one is my “favourite.” I don’t really have favourites, much to my daughter’s chagrin. I do, however, love to “compare and contrast” like most writers.

Easter allows us to enter into the story of Christ’s coming to earth to atone for the sin of the world and make a way back to very personal, intimate contact with God our Father, in a different way than the Christmas story of his Nativity. Easter, of course, is the end of a chapter. And the start of a whole new lease on life for those who believe. Christmas is the great gateway: come one, come all, goodwill among Men and peace on Earth is the overriding message of the holiday. But at Easter there’s a particular claim on us being made, a demand, a question of faith. 

There is a reckoning that happens at Easter that we don’t see at the homely, approachable manger. Here at the foot of the Cross of Christ, we are confronted with a whole new dimension of God’s power and judgement on sin. A whole new depth of forgiveness. 

I’ve had people ask me about this path of forgiveness lately. And I’ve written and shared a lot in response, because it’s such a key, critical question because it’s linked to the place where we live, in our heart, in relationship to God, his creation and his creatures. 

If we are trying to live close to the foot of the cross, where we come to lay our burdens down, and here, we find unforgiveness in our heart, then we know we will have a problem. We know we will not be able to walk away from this place totally free, until we find forgiveness. 

But, for it to be real, for us to live with spiritual integrity, there must also be a real clearing of the air, a sharing of our truth, a telling of our story. We must be heard to know we are forgiven, or be able to forgive others where they’ve hurt us, and may even continue to be hurting us. In this last case, being heard also means receiving some sign of repentance or other godly sorrow on their part. We must be heard, and acknowledged in a tangible way, to forgive, from our heart. 

There must be some acknowledgement of a wrong done or being done (on our part, or their’s). We must live into a deeper reality to find or offer a deeper forgiveness. This is so important; to know that forgiveness is not a blanket statement: a get out of jail free card. That’s not grace. That’s self-deception.

We sense this when we come to the foot of the cross on Easter. When we stop. And pause here with the stripped and beaten Christ. When we come to terms with his suffering on our behalf (and of the whole world), then it’s unlikely we’ll turn around and make light of it in our relationships with others. Once we’ve seen Christ in this position, we come to know the value of real relationship. Forgiveness costs. It requires a reckoning, and often something as basic as being heard. 

Did Christ pay the price? Absolutely: he paid it in full. But does that make it cheap, or forgiveness something someone else can take for granted from us? I don’t think so. I’ve found forgiveness, when it’s real, is the only real path to spiritual freedom and relational reconciliation. But when it’s not real and offered in name only, it can lead to a hardening of hearts that leaves people worse off than they were before, when the issue was still outstanding but at least no one was saying, “I forgive you,” when they didn’t really mean it, or the problem had not been talked about and/or meaningfully addressed.

At Christmas we come to the manger and fall easily on our knees, in worship. There’s a flood of light and grace in our hearts. The heavens are wide open and the angels sing. But at Easter, there are tears. Still a large amount of wonder and awe at the Empty Tomb, in light of the Resurrection, but many tears, fears faced and betrayals realized, leading up to this moment of final release of death’s grip. But on the other side of forgiveness given and received, we find ourselves as full participants in The New Life. The life we are called to share in Christ thanks to the wisdom and forethought of God the Father; a new life guaranteed by the deposit of the Holy Spirit within us. 

At Easter, there’s lots here to unpack (perhaps even more than there is to unwrap at Christmas) but for now, I’d like to bow a little more pointedly, with a little more pathos and pause, at the foot of the cross and say, “Thank You, Lord for all you have done that we might go free; forgive and be forgiven,” sure that we are heard in this, our prayer one for the other. Amen.

_______________________________

Dayna Mazzuca is a writer, speaker and poet working from home in Sylvan Lake. Her formal background is in Philosophy, Journalism and Spiritual Formation. These topics tend to overlap in her writings on the spiritual journey, her eight books of poetry and her online work. Her most recent project is an online course called “The Power of Authentic Storytelling” and can be found on her new site – www.daynamazzuca.com.