Easter, the story of you and your Savior!

 Did you know that YOU were in every single part of the Easter story? 

Yes, you have heard that you were on His mind when He was on the cross. But did you know that when He sat at the table at the last supper, He was thinking of you then? As He told Judas that he would betray Him, and when He said to Simon Peter, “you will deny Me three times.” (Luke 22). He thought of you. He thought of when you will choose the wrong crowd to hang out with. He thought of the time where you would choose drugs to handle your situation instead of turning to Him. He thought of when you will choose that relationship with a boy over one with your Heavenly Father. But guess what? He broke the bread, drank the wine, and STILL declared that sacrifice that He was going to make for you, despite your own betrayal of Him in your own life. (Mathew 26:17-30). 

But did you know you were also on His mind in the garden? As His disciples were asleep, He was awake thinking of you. (Luke 22:44). He was sweating blood, praying to God, just waiting for the soldiers to come arrest Him, and He was thinking of your life. He knew thousands of years later, now in 2020, that you would also be awake one night, anxious about something. And He showed you, that what you need is to call out to the Father, just as He did in the garden. He knew what was about to come would be the hardest thing a human would ever have to endure. But guess what? He humbly put His hands behind Him, was handcuffed, and taken away for an eternal life with you. (Matthew 27).

And yes, when Jesus was in front of Pilate you were in His mind then too. As He watched Pilate be persuaded by the demands of the people in the crowd shouting, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” (Luke 23:21). You came to mind. He thought of how in highschool you would also be pressured to do the wrong thing. You didn’t want to go to that party, or have sex with that person, but the people around you pressured you into doing what you knew was wrong. But do you know what happened next? Our Savior, that could have stopped it all, at any point, showed us what it means to walk in humility, and He allowed them to make the decision of His death. And He loved you through all of it. (1 John 4:19). 

And as the soldiers spit in His face and mocked Him, He thought of that bully, that would make you feel less than what you were worth. But He perfectly demonstrated that you only need to sit there, because what will come, will be greater than any revenge. (Exodus 14:14). 

Even when they placed the crown of thorns on His head, making fun of Him, labeling Him with names that were not of Him. He thought of you. He thought of that time when you would be labeled by the world... “Unworthy” “ugly” “not good enough”, and that's why He called you by name, and took your beating. So you didn't have to endure it. (Isaiah 43:1). So that when the world told you these lies, you wouldn't have to take it, but instead stand firm in the fact that you are more than worthy, so loved, fearfully and wonderfully made, and bought with the Ultimate Price. (Psalm 139:14). 

And even after His beating, Jesus. Bruised, beaten, and bloody picked up His cross. And He thought of you. He thought of when you would feel like life was beating you, and kicking you when you were down. He thought of when you would lose that family member, not get into that college, and get in a fight with your best friend, all in the same week. And He showed you then, on His way to Golgotha. That you have the power to pick up your cross, take heart, and have faith. (John 16:33) Because there were greater things ahead. No, the cross was not great. But the outcome of the cross? That is the greatest thing of all. (John 3:16). 

And when Jesus fell to the ground after carrying His cross up the hill, He planned a man to help Him carry it the rest of the way, because He wanted you to know that you don't have to carry your burden alone. That He would place friends and family in your life for you to lean on in hard times. And the greatest part of all? You will forever have your Creator to rely on for help in times of need and desperation (Psalm 46:1). 

Then, once He had made it up to Mount Skull, He laid on that cross, with His arms stretched out, and YOUR name was on His mind. As they drove the nails into His hands and feet, He thought about the abundance and indescribable amount of love He has for YOU. And as the soldiers put the cross up, and our Saviour began His crucifixion, He said, “Father forgive them, they don't know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34). Because He wanted you to know that when people do wrong to you, and hurt you, you can still forgive them, through the Father, who forgave all sins. (Colossians 3:13).

And right before Jesus took His last breath and uttered the words ``It is finished.” (Luke 19: 30). He thought of YOU. He thought of your addiction, your anxiety, your depression, your struggles, your lust, your greed, your envy, your selfishness, He thought of every sin you would ever commit. And he said that it was finished. He declared in that moment, that you know longer have to hold onto those sins weighing you down! It is done! He has taken them away. 

Did you know even in His death, He was thinking of you? He thought of you as a disciple. He referred to you as His mother and Mary Magdalene. And He thought of that season of waiting you are going through right now. And He reveals Himself to be a dependable Father. One that in that season of waiting you can trust. Because do you know what happened on the third day? HE FULFILLED HIS PROMISE! HE DEFEATED DEATH AND ROSE FROM THE GRAVE! And you, and me, and everyone else in this world, rose with Him! We were no longer a slave to death in that moment, but were free from our shackles, and raised to eternal life with our Savior! 

And as He rose, He thought of YOU. In fact, you were His first thought, and He was overjoyed at the thought of spending forever with YOU. With His child. His sculpted masterpiece. 

And as He ascended into heaven, He sat at the right hand of God. And now? He waits for the glorious day that you will join Him in paradise. 

But the best part of all of this? He left His disciples on earth to show us WE TOO, can be disciples for Him. We can continue to be a part of the Easter story, even thousands of years later (Matthew 28: 19- 20). We too can spread the good news! And we can tell people who may not have ever heard the Easter story, the gift that He bought for us with His life. And all they have to do is receive it! All they have to do is believe! (John 3:16).

So before you skip over that Easter post on instagram, or look past that Bible verse, or tune out of that sermon this Sunday morning, remember… He specifically thought of YOU, every. single . step of the way. So let’s think of Him today, tomorrow, and forever. Let’s celebrate the Easter story of You, and your All Powerful Savior. Because quite frankly, it is the best story of all time.