Happy Easter!

“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” 

(Luke 24:5-6, NIV)

Easter is finally here! And you know what that means… you get to wear that new cute dress to church and binge on Easter candy? How about the end of Lent, that long 40 days of fasting? Sunday brunch anyone? No. All of those things are good but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about a cause for celebration that’s even better - we get to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior JESUS CHRIST! Today is the day we get to shout, and sing, and proclaim at the top of our lungs: “our God is not dead, He is ALIVE!” And not only is He alive, but He has defeated sin and death FOREVER! Everything Jesus said was real and His resurrection is the proof. This fact is beyond exciting, and hands down a million times better than chocolate bunnies and cute dresses. Can I get a Hallelujah?!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_OTz-lpDjw

In case you couldn’t tell, I’m pretty pumped about the significance of today, and I’m not the only one. Think about it, all over the world right now billions of Christians, from all different denominations and cultures, are coming together today to celebrate the victory we have in Christ. Just sitting here typing about it makes me want to cry, and laugh, and clap my hands, all at the same time. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXu1Z9WDjM0

The apostle Paul was also pretty jazzed when he talked about Jesus’ resurrection and shared these words with the early church in Corinth:

“Death has been swallowed up in victory. 

Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?” 

(1 Corinthians 15:54-55, NIV)

I love that Paul, just at the mere mention of his Lord’s victory, was emboldened to smack-talk death. Paul’s words weren’t just bold talk, they were also an allusion to a passage in the book of Isaiah. 

“He will swallow up death forever.

The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears

from all faces;

he will remove his people’s disgrace

from all the earth.

The Lord has spoken.

In that day they will say,

“Surely this is our God;

we trusted in him, and he saved us.

This is the Lord, we trusted in him;

let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

(Isaiah 25:8-9, NIV)

The Book of Isaiah is rich with prophecy about Jesus, despite the fact that Isaiah is part of the Old Testament (don’t believe me? Check out Isaiah 53). Actually, foreshadowing of Jesus is woven all throughout the Old Testament and can be found in many places. That, however, is a blog post for another time. No homework today, we have celebrating to do!

Speaking of homework, I didn’t get much art done this week. Regardless of the reasons, art did not happen and by the time Friday rolled around I began to panic. I had accomplished many things but sadly no art. Then, last night, just as I was descending into worried thoughts, Jesus whispered to my heart, “it’s ok, the art isn’t important. Share me.” He reminded me that my blog isn’t just a place where I can share my pretty pictures, it is a tool which allows me to share the hope of Jesus all over the world! The recent statistics on faithfullydrawn.com show that in the last seven days readers from China, Russia, Germany, Australia, France, The United Kingdom, Norway, and Sweden have visited my blog. Hi, international art blog friends :).

So here it goes. Here is the truth of the Gospel: God loves you! Yes, YOU! In fact, He loves every single human being and wants to be a part of your life. God loves all of humanity so much that He sent his only son, Jesus, to die for us. Jesus’ death paid the penalty for all our sins (past, present, and future, forever and ever) and His sacrifice repaired the rift that sin had created which separated us from God. Now anyone, no matter how broken or how sinful, can have a personal relationship with God. All we have to do is accept Jesus’ payment and turn from our sin (this is known as repentance). Three days after His death, Jesus rose from the grave. Jesus defeated sin, He defeated death, and He gives the same victory to all who choose to accept Him. There is no special ceremony necessary. You do not need a Preacher, Pastor, Elder, or Priest to bless you. You can accept Jesus anywhere and at anytime. Just believe in Jesus, repent, and receive God’s love. That’s it, boom, you’re a Christian! Welcome to the family.

Hand Raised in Praise, by Angela Durst 2018

So to all my Christian brothers and sisters, whether you grew up in the church or you just prayed that prayer RIGHT NOW, it’s time to party! So let’s sing and dance to the Lord; let’s feast and celebrate! And as we rejoice with the entire Christian world let us not forget The Great Commission (Jesus’ instructions to the disciples after his resurrection).

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved…” (Mark 16:15-16). 

You don’t have to be a Bible scholar, you don’t need any special seminary training, you don’t even need to have chapter and verse memorized. Your faith is the only qualification you need. Just go out and share the hope that you have in Jesus. Shout it from the rooftops! If you are still feeling unqualified, or you simply need a refresher, check out this delightful video of children telling the story of Easter. If these adorable little ones can do it, then so can we! So, go out and tell everyone you know that Jesus has rosen… rye-sen… raisin… Jesus is ALIVE! :D 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdn1R90kX9A

P.S. If you have a desire to memorize scripture and actually want to quote chapter and verse, the story of Jesus’ miraculous resurrection can be found at the end of all four Gospels (Matthew 28:1-15, Mark 16:1-20, Luke 24:1-49, and John 20:1-29). God bless you and HAPPY EASTER!!!