The Easter Holiday is celebrated all over the world. It represents the greatest act of love that mankind has ever known! An all-knowing and all-powerful God clothed himself in humanity to pull off the greatest “rescue mission” of all time.
The resurrection of Christ destroyed the two great enemies of humanity – “sin” and “death” – at the cross of Calvary, with Jesus taking a victory lap at the empty tomb to prove it! I have personally experienced this liberation and freedom for myself.
This is the “Good News” about Easter.
My dad was a devout Catholic and my mom a faithful Evangelical. My sister and I were born and raised in Santa Barbara, within a loving, God-honoring home. As kids, we did all the typical Easter traditions, coloring and hiding eggs. We would spy on my dad as he pretended to be that mystical creature known as the “Easter Bunny.” He would wake up early and hide baskets of candy in the tall ryegrass in our backyard.
Before any feasting and partaking of the plunder, my dad would say “we go to Church first.” I thought to my young self, “What a terrible trick!” Reflecting back, it was a good call by my dad. My wife and I shared some of these similar Easter traditions with our children, leaving out the mystic bunny critter of course. All those customs were fun and memorable, but what my parents shared with us and what my wife and I grounded our children in was the true Easter story: the greatest miracle of all time, the life-giving message of Jesus and His resurrection from death to life.
These truths of revelation are what shaped our lives early on until present time. I’m indebted to my parents for imparting this legacy of faith in us. My prayer is the same for our children and for the generations after them.
Jesus proclaimed this amazing truth … 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… (John 11:25-26). These are powerful words for everyone. I have many friends who did not grow up in Christian homes and have been transformed by this message of hope. The apostle Paul gave some great insights on the resurrection… And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. (1 Corinthians 15:17). This is an alarming and emphatic statement. Without the resurrection, the birth, life and death of Jesus is fruitless; he would be just another ethical moral teacher, a common mortal like us passing through life. Paul uses this statement to bring emphasis on how important it was for Jesus to have been raised to life.
What should our response be in light of these truths? It starts with genuine humility, having the ability to be honest about our rebellious nature and how we have chosen to live apart from God.
“Missing the Mark”
The bible says We all have sinned and have fallen short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23). Sin inserted its will from our beginning. “Sin” is an archery term simply meaning “missing the mark,” the gap between hitting the target, which is perfection, and missing it is called the sin distance. The bad news is that we have missed the mark. Our sin has separated us from God. In God’s mercy and in the fullness of His loving grace, He set up the “divine rescue plan” to bring “us” His image-bearing creation in a right relationship to Himself.
God has given us free will. In this life a fork in the road has been set. One way is to stay the course unchanged, unaffected, allowing the seeds of rebellion to manifest until our last breath. The other road is to forsake self, acknowledge our sin, turn away from that which destroys our souls, and receive the gift of salvation, the love offering of Jesus to be reconciled to a merciful, loving, and forgiving God.
To the faithful family of God, let’s rejoice together in celebrating our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on resurrection Sunday. Pass the torch of faith to all who need His light. For my friends who maybe strayed away or have doubts or maybe are curious, I invite you on a journey of discovery to learn more about the life and love of Jesus.
Also, please join us for Easter service at 10 am as our special guest, into the heart of our great city, at the beautiful Sunken Gardens.
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He has Risen! He has risen indeed!
Pastor Bret Shellabarger was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California and is a proud and blessed United States citizen. He started attending Calvary Chapel in 1984 over 40 years ago, fast forward, he was called by God and ordained and trained at Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara in 2004 as the Community Outreach Pastor. Pastor Bret currently serves as the Associate Pastor of CCSB and prior to that pursued a 20-year career in the Luxury Hotel Industry in various capacities including sales and management! Bret is a devoted husband to his wife, Susie, father to three adult children and grandfather to three young grandsons.
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Well said! As we look at the sad state of humanity, there is only one hope- redemption through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Humans mostly prefer to pretend that they are God, and there is no power higher than themselves. This failed approach is the basis for Adam and Eve being evicted from the Garden of Eden, and the loss of a close fellowship with their Creator. Fortunately, God provided a way back to fellowship with Him. We believers celebrate that reality this weekend. We hope to share this with you all at the SB courthouse sunken gardens Sunday Morning.
He is risen indeed!
Well said Bret! Thank you for sharing this. I hope that it may change many lives or maybe bring some to be curious about HIM and the understanding of his grace and blessings.