Porch #135 👒I have a little Easter basket for you

homespun springtime snapshots . inspiring decor links . Holy Week considerations . worship medley . spring break

Dear kind-hearted friends ~

May I be the first to say He is risen to you this year!

Praise God we don't have to wait 'til Easter Sunday morning to speak those glorious words right out loud.  Where would we be without our precious Savior's presence in our lives. That our God is alive and well in the midst of chaos and disorder and heartache, that He'll never change like shifting shadows, that He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, is such a powerful anchor for the bewildered soul.

I'm so grateful for the hope that is Jesus. I am so grateful to call Him the Lover of my soul.

INSPIRING DECOR LINKS
Vintage Easter Home Tour - Emily Baker
Bunnies and flowers, mantels and lambs, cupboards and crocks and shelves laden with goodies, oh my.

Celebrating Spring’s Arrival & Easter’s Blessings - Pam & Butch Richardson
How ‘bout all 411 of us do a road trip to the Appalachian foothills for an elegant holiday picnic.

32 Spring Wreaths to Charm Up Your Front Door - Country Living
I’m crazy about #25.

DISTURBING HOLY WEEK CONSIDERATIONS
When the big box office hit The Passion of the Christ premiered way back in 2004, I made a fairly easy decision.  There was just no way I was going to sit in a comfy seat in a darkened theater and watch the Holy One I adored get tortured to death.

I couldn't bear even the thought of it.  It made my skin crawl, my stomach turn.

Who could bear the viewing of such agony?

It's hit me afresh recently ... the outrageous cruelty, the gruesome barbaric scene, the ultimate sacrifice we consider this Holy Week.  

And who are the eyewitnesses to this horrific crucifixion?  His mother, Mary ... and 'many women were there, watching from a distance' (Matthew 27:55-56).

All the disciples, the multitudes, the followers?  The only one mentioned is John, and Jesus entrusts His mother to his care. Her children weren't present.  Mark 6:3 tells us that Jesus had at least 4 brothers and 2 sisters.  

Where did they all disappear to?  Did they flee for the hills in fear?  How could they not be there to support their brother, their mother?  Did they not believe He was who He said He was?  

My questions lead to more considerations.  Unsettling personal ones.  Hard stuff.

If I had been in town that day, how would I have demonstrated my love for the Christ I had committed to follow?  What choices would I have made as He groaned in agony, bloodied and battered, spikes holding his broken body to raw and ragged wood, noontime sky turning dark and the curtain of the temple torn in two from top to bottom?

For me.  For my sins. 

Would I have been fully present to the Son of God in every way possible?  

I'd like to think that infused by massive portions of bold spiritual courage I wouldn't have denied knowing Him.  That I would have joined the women at the foot of the cross out of sheer love and commitment.

I'm hoping I wouldn't have made haste for the hills in terror.  Or scurried off somewhere to bury my head in the sand in a state of fear-fueled shock.  Or skedaddled off to ride out the sheer horror of it all in the relative comfort and safety of my home. 

God only knows.

Matthew 27 . Mark 15 . Luke 23 . John 19

‘Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love’ (Ephesians 6:24). I’ll see you in April, friends.
Linda