Devotions with Pastor Fran

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! II Corinthians 5:17

I love spring! Spring is probably my most favorite of all the seasons. I live 30 minutes from the church so I have a really nice drive every day to work. I can watch the buds start forming on the branches and then the leaves begin to appear and things start to get a light green tone and I can watch as the colors start to change over the course of the week from one color hue to another. The branches that appear to be dead begin to come alive and the dismal look of winter slowly gives way to new life and lush lawns and budding trees. In my spirit I feel a newness as each day gets a little longer and I have more daylight in my days to enjoy my family and friends. I love spring!

Spring reminds me of Easter and the newness of life that comes with it!

Easter season for me begins with Palm Sunday where they treated Jesus like a king and Maundy Thursday when Jesus broke bread with them and then proceeded to wash their feet knowing full well that His disciple Judas was planning on betraying Him. Then Good Friday came and the long trip to Calvary where Jesus willingly gave his life as a ransom for all. It must have been a very dismal Saturday when the disciples and Mary Magdalene thought all was lost. Can you imagine what Mary must have felt when she found the tomb empty and her Lord gone? There had to have been a feeling of despair and emptiness that totally engulfed her. Then comes Easter and the day that My Savior rose from the grave! Imagine what Mary must have felt when Her Savior stood before her and called her by her name? Can you envision the scene that took place in that upper room when Jesus appeared to His disciples? Even doubtful Thomas stopped doubting and believed as he touched Jesus side. That must have been an awesome encounter! Jesus continued to stay with them for 40 days and then ascended up into heaven, where He remains until the day He returns to gather His own. We really don’t know what all took place those 40 days for John tells us in John 21:25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. All the disciples must have felt a newness of life as they experienced all of that in person.

We all can have that same experience today because He sent the Holy Spirit to be our comforter and guide and to give us the power from on high to live as we ought to live. He has given us a new life through His death on the cross! He is still calling us by name! As we enter this Easter season may we never forget the sacrifice He made for us!

With spring comes the newness of life as the trees and flowers and grass come to life. With Easter comes the resurrection and the hope for tomorrow and the newness of life through the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. We become a new creation through Christ; the old is gone, the new has come! II Corinthians 5:17

So as we approach Easter this year let us focus on the resurrection and hope for tomorrow.
He is risen! He is risen indeed!
Pastor Fran