FAITH CONNECTION – FARMERSVILLE UMC
Ministry Updates for Monday, August 31st, 2020
This article was shared by Carol Barnes
Scripture – John 19:30
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
Reflection – It is finished
If you read the last church newsletter, in the “what do you still have from high school” section, you saw my childhood Easter basket. For my first Easter my mom bought my older sisters and I Longaberger Easter baskets. My sisters were old enough to pick out their own colors so they both chose pink with the traditional brown. My mom picked mine out which was a dark blue weave mixed with the traditional brown. This might’ve been the beginning of Easter becoming my family’s favorite holiday.
As we grew up, our baskets got beat up, used as weapons, and even caught in each other’s hair… multiple times. There isn’t much those Easter baskets haven’t seen. They weren’t put up in the closet to be pulled out for the special occasion – instead, they sat on our shelves or bedside tables year-round. Currently, mine resides on top of my grandfather’s china cabinet in my living room full of coloring books and crayons. As I mentioned, Easter is my family’s big holiday. We’ve dyed eggs together as a family for my entire life, including a video chat dying session this year. There are unofficial contests of which egg is dyed the prettiest or who drew the best picture (we draw or write on them with the clear and colored crayons before dying as well). We hide the eggs, find them, hide them again, find them again, and repeat the process until they fall apart.
Many people say Christmas or even Halloween is their favorite holiday but Easter is certainly mine and, as I’ve grown up, my viewpoint of Easter has evolved. I used to love Easter because of my family traditions and while that’s still important, the Easter story has become more meaningful to me. Yes, God put his son Jesus on this Earth at Christmastime but, to me, the real story of Jesus was the crucifixion and resurrection. “It is finished” meant he did his job, he lived and died for our sins, and he paid my debt in full. Some might think this is an odd time to think about Easter, but I think about it year-round, especially when I reach for my old and faded basket.
Prayer:
God in heaven, in this time of busyness where summers are ending, families are planning holiday weekend getaways, and students/teachers are preparing to return to school, help us to remember we live because of Jesus’ sacrifice. You sent your son to earth to teach man kind and to die for our sins so that we may have everlasting life. Remind us of your love every day and help us to share your story with others. In your name we pray, Amen.