His Death and Resurrection

Hello dear blogging friends! Happy Easter to you! What a glorious day we celebrate today...the day our Savior, Jesus Christ rose once again. The tomb was empty...the stone was rolled away...and our Savior broke the chains of death and rose again! Hallelujah! It makes me want to break out in song...He is risen! He is risen!

Those of you that have spent much time in Latin America may have experienced how crazy the people get this time of year with all their parades and ceremonies. Most of Guatemala shuts down. Semana Santa or Holy Week is a much bigger deal than Christmas around here. Some would say...well that is great. We should celebrate Jesus' birth but we should celebrate more His resurrection. I would agree, but unfortunately that isn't really the case. Friday and even in some places on Saturday, everything was completely closed and shut down. There were tons of ceremonies and processionals....to remember Christ's death. But, today...today where the victory lives...in His resurrection, life has gone on normally (not here at the orphanage of course but out there in the rest of the country). Yesterday, as we were driving through one small town, all the people were gathered in the street, and we could see smoke. I asked my friend what was going on, and she told me that they were burning Judas! I said, "What???" Yes, they are burning Judas. They apparently make a doll and the doll hangs himself from a tree like Judas did. They cut him down and burn him! I couldn't believe it....yet today...today, nothing!!! It all seems most absurd to me, but I must say that as I have been thinking, I have been wondering if I have given this day and really not the day but Jesus, His just dues. Do I celebrate this day as I ought...and really celebrate everyday that Jesus rose again. He conquered death. We have victory and eternal life because He broke the chains of death. His birth and his death and his miracles wouldn't matter if He had never risen...if His lifeless body still lay in that grave. It wouldn't matter. It matters...today matters because Jesus won...He conquered all. Even though sin still exists today, Jesus is coming back...He is coming back and unlike an action movie when we get to the climatic scene, we know who wins this battle. Jesus!!! He is the victor. Now don't get me wrong here. We have to talk about His death. We have to teach our children about what Jesus suffered...how He took our sin so that we could be washed clean by His pure blood. He was the ultimate sacrifice. What He did matters and we need to talk about it and remember it and thank Him for it...over and over and over again. But, His resurrection matters too and as far as I am concerned today is the day to party...to party with Jesus that He is alive. He is alive in my heart and the hearts of all those who have committed their lives to Him. He will reclaim what is rightly His. What a sight that empty grave must have been!

So today I say...come on celebrate, come on and celebrate, come on and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord! Here is the song I am busting my move to today! (Of course there are many other amazing and beautiful songs but this is the one Miss B. and I have been singing and the one I am teaching my little man!)

Celebrate Jesus Celebrate

Celebrate Jesus Celebrate
Celebrate Jesus Celebrate
Celebrate Jesus Celebrate
Celebrate Jesus Celebrate

He is risen, He is risen
And He lives forevermore
He is risen, He is risen
Come on and celebrate
The resurrection of our Lord