Resurrection Life

Photo by Abby

We just celebrated Easter, the defeat of death, sin, and the grave!  The victory of life, grace, and redemption!  Increasingly so, I love this time of year.  It is a powerful, sobering, life-giving time.  Here are some of my recent meditations on the death and resurrection of Jesus and what it means to us as Jesus followers:

~Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4  (Romans 5-6 is one of my very favorite passages of Scripture! I could read it and think on it day after day!)

~He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to dins, might live to righteousness... 1 Peter 2:24

~And that well-known, but never too often read passage in Philippians 2:5-8 about how Jesus humbled himself to become a human, then to death on a cross.  "Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

He did die, all for love and mercy and justice, and glory to God, He did rise "on the third day."  And with every passing year, I long more for the day of His triumphant return, to watch and be part of the sea of people who will bow in worship to Him as He deserves.  His death and resurrection give abundance, purpose, and joy to life now, and hope for life forever with God and without the hindrance and snare of sin and the pain and sorrow of death and loss.  How my heart overflows with praise to Jesus!  

Sarah getting a flower crown by Abby's friend.  She loved it so much.  Also, she has been talking about Jesus "raised up on the third day" a lot the last couple of weeks since one of her Awana memory verses was from 1 Corinthians 15 and included those words!  Amazing and beautiful.  Out of the mouth of babes!

We had the privilege of hosting these 3 of Rachel's friends from U of L.  They are so great!

Just look at these two!  God has done great things!  And continues to do so!

Finally, I have to include this.  There are not many pictures of these two together since she doesn't live here anymore.