Post Easter Thoughts and Notes

Happy Easter Monday...can you imagine what a glorious day this was back in Jesus' day?  The day AFTER the Resurrection?  Can you imagine the excitement rippling through the disciples' community network...they didn't have social media back then, but they sure had ways of getting the message around...and look what we have today...God's Word The Bible and the New Testament...we would not have The New Testament if Easter had never happened!  We would not have our churches and Christian schools, ministers, missionaries...we would still be lost in our sins...Oh, my goodness! What a difference Three Days Make! 

I do not have any sermon notes from our church service yesterday, as our "sermon" was in song...our choir performed the Easter Cantata, "I Will Embrace the Cross".  I cannot find any videos of these wonderful songs, but here is a link to the publisher and there is an "audio preview" on this site where you can actually listen to the songs.  If you want to sit and listen to the songs, there it is. (You have to click on each song to hear it).  I wish someone would have recorded our program, as it was so meaningful and each song is a part of the story of Jesus' journey through Jerusalem and to the cross.  Here is a picture of our choir singing. (Actually listening to the narrator at that point, hence we are not looking at the director!) 

After our Easter services we went home to prepare dinner for our family. Our daughter in law unfortunately had to work all day, and so we waited until supper time to have our Easter dinner. Thankfully, that gave me more time to cook after church.  We had a great time together...
 (I apologize if you've already seen all these pictures on my facebook page, but not everyone is a "fan" of facebook, so here we go...)

I also had time to bake this "Happy Face Easter Cake"...it turned out pretty good for not knowing what I was doing but just kind of "winging it".  Green dyed coconut makes pretty good Easter Grass for the Jelly Beans on top of the cream cheese frosting on a delicious lemon cake!

  We are not wearing our Easter finery here...this was later in the day we were very relaxed and casual...

 We enjoyed ham, deviled eggs, scalloped potatoes, broccoli, and corn on the cob, which was still cooking when this picture was taken...oh, and of course, "Hawaiian Rolls"...

And yes, our family has a tradition of finding the hidden Easter Baskets somewhere in the house...we are running out of good hiding places...they are finding them too quickly...well at least Scott did...he found his right off and I thought it was so well hidden...

Rose and Benton had to search a little longer, but they finally found theirs too.

It was a lovely evening.  So very thankful for our family and our church family too.

Again, I think..what would our lives be like without Jesus in our lives? There would be no "church family"...no Easter music...no Christmas...no salvation from our sins...none of the wonderful sacred music that we enjoy so much every week at church and in between...no Christian charity, ministries, hospitals...wow...if Jesus had never come to earth...if Jesus had never died on Calvary...where would we be? Have you ever thought of this?  I supposed we'd all be like the rest of the heathen world...following after false religions and gods...or not knowing any kind of god at all. We'd be lost. Our lives would be dark and sad and filled with sorrows with no hope.

Thanks to Calvary...we have hope of life eternal...we have salvation from our sins...we have life and love and faith to carry us through all of life's trials.

Jesus said to Martha in John 11:25-26

"I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die...."

Hallelujah for this hope that we have in Christ Jesus, all because of Easter!