4.8.12 easter sunday

Good morning and Happy Easter! I am so thankful today for my many blessings! Today I will celebrate Easter with my family. It’s a wonderful time – family, food, dyed eggs, and a joyous celebration of the resurrection of Christ. I may even finish off the day watching Passion of the Christ. It always breaks my heart. I cry and cry. To watch the sacrifice that he made for ME and for YOU. Such powerful images. A heavenly father and an earthly mother watching as their child is beaten and tortured. My tears flow as the blood flows. Just thinking about it, mmm, my heart hurts. Wow – I started off the paragraph all cheery and such and am finishing with myself in tears. Way to go, Terri…. A real pick-me-upper, aren’t ya?
This week, I am going to switch it up again. I want to share one of my favorite songs. It is called “Sunday’s on its way” by Carmen. It is a different twist on the Easter story told from the perspective of the devil and the grave. Sounds a little strange? Yes, granted, but give it a shot.
The demons were planning on having a party one night. They had beer, Jack Daniels, and pretzels, there was red wine, some white. They were celebrating how they crucified Christ on that tree. But Satan, the snake himself, wasn't so at ease. Well, he took his crooked finger, And he dialed the phone by his bed, To call an old faithful, to see if he was dead. "Hey grave, what's going on, did my plan fail?" Grave just laughed and said, "The dude's dead as nails."
A tranquilizer and a horror flick, couldn't calm Satan's fears. So Saturday night, he calls up the grave, scared of what he'd hear. "Hey, grave, what's going on?" Grave said, "Man, you done called me twice, and I'll tell you one-more-time, boss, the Jew's on ice." Satan said, " Man grave, you remember when, Ol' Lazarus, was in his grave. Everything was cool then four days later...BOOM, Ol' Lazarus, he was raised. Now, this Jesus, he is much more trouble than anyone has ever been to me, And this man said he only gonna be dead, for three days."
Sunday morning Satan woke with a jump, Ready to blow a fuse. He was shaking from the tips of his pointy ears, To the toes of his pointy shoes. "Hey grave, is he alive, I don't wanna lose my neck?" Grave said , "Satan, you are a wreck. Cool your jets Big D, my sting is still intact. Take it from the grave brother, he ain't never coming back. So mellow out man, just go drink up or shoot up, just leave old grave alone, And homey I'll catch you la...la... Oh no! Oh no! OH NO! OH NO! Somebody's messing with the stone!"
Well, the stone was rolled away, and it bounced a time or two, and an angel stepped inside, and said, "I'm Gabriel, who are you? If you're looking for the Lord here, in this very hour, I tell you he's alive and well, with resurrection power!"

On Friday night, they crucified Christ on that tree, But he said, "Don't worry, three days' later I'll live again, you'll see!" When problems try to bury you, make it hard to pray, It may seem like Friday night, but Sunday's on the way!

Bible Verse for the week:

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."  Matthew 28

Quote for the week:

Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer; Death is strong, but Life is stronger;
Stronger than the dark, the light; Stronger than the wrong, the right...
                                        ~Phillips Brooks, "An Easter Carol

Bible Fun for the week:

Easter Trivia

• The name Easter owes its origin from Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess who symbolizes hare and egg.
• Easter always falls between March 22 and April 25.
• Pysanka is a specific term used for the practice of Easter egg painting.
• From the very early times, egg has been considered the most important symbol of rebirth.
• The initial baskets of Easter were given the appearance of bird's nests.
• Each year witnesses the making of nearly 90 million chocolate bunnies.
• When it comes to eating of chocolate bunnies, the ears are preferred to be eaten first by as many as 76% of people.
• In the catalogue of kids' favorite Easter foodstuff, Red jellybeans occupy top most position.
• Easter Bonnets are a throwback to the days when the people denied themselves the pleasure of wearing fine angels for the duration of Lent.
• Easter is now celebrated (in the words of the Book of Common Prayer) on the first Sunday after the full moon, which happens on, or after March 21, the Spring Equinox.
• In medieval times, a festival of egg throwing was held in church, during which the priest would throw a hard-boiled egg to one of the choirboys. It was then tossed from one choirboy to the next and whoever held the egg when the clock struck 12 was the winner and retained the egg.
• Some Churches still keep up the old tradition of using evergreens - symbolic of eternal life - embroidered in red on white, or woven in straw, but most now prefer displays of flowers in the spring colors of green, yellow and white.