Our Blog

By: Pastor Berg

I know it’s hard to believe, but by the time you read this, Easter will be less than a week away! Where has the time gone? Easter is as special time of year for us as Christians. It’s the high festival of our entire Church year. I don’t know if there’s anything that I look forward to more than being able to proclaim with a shout, “Christ is Risen!” and have the congregation shout in response, “He is Risen indeed!” But that isn’t the only thing that makes Easter special. On Easter Sunday, hundreds of people in our area will do something that is strange for them. In less than a week, people will go places that they rarely ever dare to go. Where? What will they do? They’ll go to church.

That’s part of what makes Easter a special opportunity! Certainly, Easter is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our Savior’s resurrection with our brothers and sisters in Christ. There is no greater joy than encouraging one another with Jesus’ victory. And yet, Easter may very well be one of our greatest opportunities to share Jesus with others.  The Easter message is a life changing message.  It’s a message that everyone needs to hear.  Jesus said in John 10, “¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷ The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

We are blessed to have this amazing relationship with our Savior. He knows us and cares for us. In fact, he cared so much that he laid down his life for us on the cross. Then, he proceeded to take it up again on Easter. That wonderful relationship we are so blessed to know, Jesus tells us, is also for others. There are still others out there who need to hear the voice of their Easter Shepherd. What better time to bring them in than on the day that many of them would be willing to come!

Take this special opportunity you have this Easter to bring a friend, relative, neighbor, or co-worker to meet their Easter Shepherd! Invite them to learn how Easter changes everything. Easter is a special opportunity because Easter is for everyone.