The Good Words Bookshelf

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Message on a Balloon


On my way to church this morning, there weren't many signs that this was Easter Sunday. No girlie Easter dresses or bonnets. No children carrying colorful Easter baskets. Just the usual line of traffic on a narrow road in my region.

Then, all of a sudden, I saw them!

What on earth are they? Balloons...but what were they for? I wondered.
Someone had tied colorful balloons to trees, street lights, stop signs, fire hydrants and almost anything that was upright, lining both sides of the road. Flapping and bobbing upright in the breeze, the balloon display went on for about two miles. Sheer curiosity would make you wonder why someone would do such a thing. At first, I thought they were just balloon “signposts” to guide visitors to someone's house for Easter dinner.

But, there was some kind of writing on the balloons that I couldn't read at first. Quickly glancing out of the side of my eye, I made out something that looked like the word, "Alive." Then further on down the road, I made out the word "Jesus" on a balloon. "Jesus Is Alive" was stamped on each balloon for the next few miles! No one driving on that road could have missed that display.

I loved it! What a fitting reminder of today, Easter Sunday. This is the day Christians celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the grave. But who was responsible for this display? A church? A youth group? A family? One individual? It doesn't matter; it was just refreshing to see this anonymous reminder of what today is all about. I couldn’t help smiling all the way to church.

Jesus is alive, and death is swallowed up in victory. Thank God Jesus is alive. And those are great words for us all.

Christ is Risen!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16, King James Version)

Today we celebrate and remember the Resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ! What a glorious day it has become for us all! It's glorious because we remember and celebrate the day Jesus defeated death and rose from the dead, just like He said He would.

His death and resurrection make it possible for all our sins to be buried in the depths of the sea, thrown away as far as the east is from the west, and remembered no more.

On this day, we remember that promise of the Resurrection--that we can have a clean slate, the promise of a new start. It’s all because of the innocent blood that God's only Son, Jesus, willingly shed to pay the penalty for our wrongdoing.

What Love for us!

Copyright © 2010 Barbara Hemming. All Rights Reserved.