Here Comes Our Annual Celebration

Some call it a “holiday” or Easter - - -
    We know it as Resurrection Day.
Do you color then hide hard-boiled eggs?
    We read the Bible, sing hymns, and pray.

Look at www.biblegateway.com
    Consider what Jesus did and said;
Let’s see what happened after that:
    He died on a cross, then arose from the dead.

He was no ordinary “preacher” man —
    People were amazed when they heard.
He spoke of life and
    Most were challenged by His word.
   
God’s wonderful love is for you and me !
    Let’s give this real attention
He forgives our sins when we ask Him.
   We can pray about any situation.
                          + + +

by Elaine Hardt ©2020
   

Good Friday & Easter:  reasons to celebrate !
              Click on https://www.biblegateway.com
              Now look up these verses:
                    Matthew 28:5
                    Mark 16:6
                    Luke 24:7
                    John 20:11-16
                    Acts 1:3
               Praying for you to be blessed !
               Looking forward to going to Heaven one of these days !

                                 

Time for the Annual Celebration

Some call it a “holiday” or Easter - - -
    We know it as Resurrection Day.
Do you color and hide hard-boiled eggs?
    We read the Bible, sing hymns, and pray.

Look at www.biblegateway.com
    Consider what Jesus did and said;
Let’s see what happened after that:
    He died on a cross, then arose from the dead.

He was no ordinary “preacher” man
    People were amazed when they heard
He spoke of life and
    Most were challenged by His word.
   
God’s wonderful love is for you and me
    Let’s give this real attention
He forgives our sins when we ask Him.
   We can pray about any situation. 
                     + + +
Have a real celebration this year . . . 
Give these verses a look:
    Click on https://www.biblegateway.com
              Now look up these verses:
                    Matthew 28:5
                    Mark 16:6
                    Luke 24:7
                    John 20:11-16
                    Acts 1:3
            Praying for you to be blessed !
                          + + +

by Elaine Hardt ©2020

April Fool’s Day ? Easter 2018 ?

This year Easter arrives on April Food’s Day !  Do you know why ?  
https://www.reference.com/holidays-celebrations/date-easter-change-c58f9462e93617da

     Easter is more than hardboiled eggs you decorated for your kids and the pretty Easter lily you can buy at the grocery store.

     Easter is a moveable date, the time following the cycle of the sun.

     Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover by much of its symbolism. 

     Easter is celebrated in different ways in the traditions of various church denominations.  

     It involves Lent, observed by some people as a 40 day period of fasting, prayer and penance.  Holy Week, includes Maundy Thursday’s Last Supper, Good Friday commemorating the crucifixion, death, and burial of Jesus.  Then on Sunday the celebration is the resurrection of Jesus.

     And we remember other customs such as hunting for Easter eggs,  the Easter bunny, and Easter parades. Kids got a new “Sunday dress.”  And what fun seeing women wearing pretty hats with their outfits. 

     Easter celebrations around the world are described in detail on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter   It’s 27 pages long if you click to print it. 

     You can read the Bible verses about the Last Supper,  The Crucifixion and Burial of Jesus, and the Resurrection.  Go to https://www.biblegateway.com   and type in a word to bring up Bible verses.  What an interesting search this is !

You'll want the facts so you can decide what to believe about Jesus ! 

by Elaine Hardt ©2018

To Easter, or Not to Easter? That Is the Question

Some call it “Easter,” a long tradition of celebrations,
Others chafe at those religious inclinations,
So, what’s a normal person to do?

Shop ‘til you drop, buy the latest fashion and toys?
Or find a quiet backyard place to consider springtime joys?
My friend, the answer’s up to you.

If you meet God and ask Him the questions you mention,
He’d answer your heart so you’d examine your intention,
If you’ll be honest while you see this thing through.

The Soft, Little Stuffed Lamb on the Table

      A little lamb in their backyard waits for Passover, but a little stuffed lamb sits on my table, waiting for “Easter.” Many people choose decorations of cute rabbits and baby chicks, baskets of fake green straw and candy, I want my family to focus on the fuller meaning of the day.
      What is Passover? In the Bible we read about this event and the powerful results of obedience to God. (See Exodus 12:1-13, Deuteronomy 16:1-8).

The Clouds in the Sky Speak to You and Me

Magnificent moods of the clouds in the sky
Alerted my attention when they caught my eye.
“Look up! Look past your familiar place,” I could hear them sing,
“We’ve seen another amazing, earthquaking thing!”

14 Days From Today

Busy? Of course you are. But you are a thoughtful, caring person.
In 14 days from today it will be Easter Sunday, or Resurrection Day. What you call it -- and how you celebrate it -- will be determined by the preparation you make. Starting today, dust off that Bible on the shelf and read just one chapter, Matthew 26. Consider the events, the people, the circumstances. If that motivates you sufficiently then tomorrow read it over again. Don’t read any farther until you feel a definite urge. Up to this challenge?

There's MORE to Easter

Easter bunnies and eggs a tradition,
A token visit to church mere cliché;
Families shopping in preparation
For just another busy holiday.

Remember Passover, the slaves set free,
The blood of a lamb placed on their door;
Obedience to God was freedom’s key,
Let the Scriptures tell you more.

Messiah Jesus, Lamb of God, was slain,
Innocent, redeeming us from sin;
Death could not hold Him, He rose again,
To receive Him begins new life within.

Some celebrate Easter in lesser ways,
Let your heart find the deeper reason;
For God’s great love let us give Him praise,
Embrace Him in this holy season.

by Elaine Hardt ©2005

Possibly a Day Overlooked

Someone named it Good Friday,
And on some calendars it may appear—
Not a dress-up, party-going day,
Mostly a non-celebration each year.

For God to send His Son to die
Means sin is very bad in His sight,
Means there was no other way
To transform men’s hearts, make it right.

If paying some money would suffice,
Or doing some extraordinary good deed
Jesus would not have had to give His life,
His dying met an inescapable need.

We cannot call Him merely “good” man
When He claimed to be much more;
To be honest, we’d turn to the Bible
And see what prophecies had in store.

Centuries before, it was written
To look for Messiah, who’d come as a man,
God’s grace magnificently revealed
In a mind-boggling, loving plan.

So don’t rush to Easter Day
Without personal contemplation;
Receive forgiveness of your sins,
Make this a time of dedication.

—Elaine Hardt ©2009

The Missing Easter Poem

“Where’s this year’s Easter poem?” my sister said,
So I started to look inside my head;
My brain struggled to find something new,
Then I realized there was work to do.

Come forth, bright ideas, from where you are hiding,
Surely creativity is somewhere abiding;
Alas, my pursuit turned up no new rhyme,
And by now I was running out of time!

Oh, nouns and adjectives and verbs with power,
Rescue me from this impending, stressful hour!
In desperation I turned to prayer,
And found my Heavenly Father there.

Turning from fiction’s play to truth of reality,
Open our eyes, Lord, it’s You we must see;
Jesus, God’s Son, Savior, faithful Friend,
Receiving You before life comes to an end.

Here owning up to my lack of fresh inspiration
I’ll write again of love and celebration:
Remember crucifixion and resurrection day;
This is the most valuable thing I can say.

By Elaine Hardt ©2008

Easter Now

Long ago and far away
Jesus rose from the dead, they say.
But that was then
and this is now.

Times are rough and unforgiving;
Getting by is scarcely living.
If there be truth
I must know now.

Pretty words stop short for me;
My soul demands reality.
If I've been blind
open my eyes.

In my honest search I found
a Father's loving arms,
a warm embrace,
eternal prize.

Oh! amazing grace so undeserved
and joy beyond description!
New life is NOW
and yet to be!

—Elaine Hardt ©1991

The Day After Easter

Easter came and went
dressed in ribbons and lace
bringing baskets of
colored eggs nestled in plastic grass.
Glazed ham emerged from its pan
and everyone ate too much.
But now it's over,
wilted lettuce and melted Jello,
and back to school.

But I chose instead
to remember Resurrection,
God's approval of Jesus,
the ultimate Passover Lamb,
His powerful answer to the daily crush,
and the unspoken questions of being,
and the heart's deepest cry.
So my celebration
has no end.

—Elaine Hardt ©l984

What Can I Say About Easter?

What can I say about Easter
That hasn’t been said before?
Stuffed rabbits and baby chicks,
Eggs in baskets or hidden nests,
Yummy cupcakes. jelly beans,
Is this a treat for your dentist?
At least that’s what it seems!

But let’s get past the pretending
And recall the Easter facts
of Jesus’ Resurrection Day;
Let’s search the Bible truth
Of that early celebration,
Passover’s sacrifice remembered
In solemn commemoration.

So what is this holiday
Really supposed to be about?
God’s love, His sacrifice for our sin,
Jesus rising from the tomb,
Our obedience and trust,
Thankful for forgiveness,
So celebrate, we must!

By Elaine Hardt ©2007