Every year Easter arrives just as the world begins to wake up from the covering of winter. Flowers bloom, trees bud, and the air carries fresh scents and the quiet promise of new life. I always am ready to create something new, it is my new year, the time to move in new directions and bring life to new ideas. It feels fitting, because Easter is the ultimate story of renewal. But before the joy of the empty tomb, there was the weight of the cross. Before resurrection, there was sacrifice. Easter invites us not only to celebrate but also to remember the depth of love that made our hope possible.
For me, Easter has always been both joyful and deeply humbling. While I love the celebration and the reminder of new life, I also feel drawn each year to reflect on the road Jesus walked to get there. The resurrection is the triumph we rejoice in, but the cross reminds us of the extraordinary love that made that triumph possible. As the apostle Paul wrote, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). When we pause to feel and experience that truth, the joy of Easter becomes even more profound. A time to remember the depth of what Jesus endured so that we could once again experience a personal relationship with our Creator.
“But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities… and by his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Easter is also a time for personal reflection.
If we’re honest, it’s not always comfortable to focus on the suffering of Christ. Yet remembering it helps anchor our gratitude, awe, and humility in Him. One way I try to do that each year is by watching Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. It’s difficult to watch, brutal at times, I always cry-it doesn’t lessen, but it reminds me in a powerful way of the cost of the love Jesus showed us.
As Jesus himself said,
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13
And that’s exactly what He did.
Jesus came into the world fully human and fully God. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:14). During His time on earth, He showed us how to live. He modeled compassion, humility, obedience, and love. He showed us what it looks like to stay close to the Father even amid a broken world.
We are reminded that we are never alone.
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1
Then came the moment in the Garden of Gethsemane where we see the depth of Jesus’ humanity. In deep anguish He prayed,
“My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39
Even in that agony, He chose obedience and love. He chose us.
“God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
Through His suffering and death on the cross, Jesus created a pathway for us to come home to God, home to Heaven where we have always belonged, and into deep, personal, and righteous relationship with Him while we are still on earth. And amazingly, He didn’t stop there. He also gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Imagine that, He gave us a gift after what He went through for us.
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever.” John 14:16
When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us, guiding us, convicting us, comforting us, and reminding us of Truth.
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit…?” 1 Corinthians 6:19
Those moments when we feel a quiet nudge in our hearts, when something doesn’t feel right, or when hope rises even when circumstances seem dark, that is the Holy Spirit at work in us.
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
And then comes the most beautiful part of the story: the resurrection.
“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” Matthew 28:6
The resurrection reminds us that death does not have the final word. It points us to our ultimate hope, eternal life with God.
Jesus also left us with a powerful example of how to live while we are here. He practiced spiritual disciplines that keep us close to God: solitude and silence, prayer, use of Scripture for discernment and direction, fasting, honoring the Sabbath, gratitude, fellowship with others, and so much more.
He summed it up simply:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart… and love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:37–39
My prayer this Easter season is twofold.
First, that we pause and remember with deep gratitude the incredible sacrifice Jesus made for our salvation and for the chance to have a personal relationship with God.
Second, that we take some time to reflect on and reassess our own relationship with Him. How are we nurturing it? How are we growing? How are we allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us?
As James writes,
“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8
So, this Easter, as we gather with family and friends, share meals, laughter, and fellowship, let us not forget the deeper root of our peace and joy. The empty tomb did not come without the cross. Jesus willingly bore our sin, endured unimaginable suffering, and defeated death so that we could be restored to God.
May our hearts respond not only with celebration, but with gratitude, humility, and awe as well as a renewed desire to walk closely with Him.
Jesus Christ.
His life.
His sacrifice.
His resurrection.
“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15