Easter...I love it yet it causes me to be so emotional every year. As a youth I loved it because it meant dying eggs and hunting for them. Getting amazing goody baskets from my parents. My Grandma's coconut candies and peanut butter eggs.
Now, as an adult who knows Jesus, Easter is such an emotional time. I still relish in the fun of dying eggs, watching the kids hunt for them. I love making candy. I enjoy filling Easter baskets for the kids. But then, I hit an incredible sadness this week too. It is a strange mix of emotions. I am joyous...sad...guilty ...happy...I cannot quite explain it.I am joyous and beyond thankful that God has a plan for us (ALL of us) to save us from eternal hell. I am beyond sad that it came at the expense of His Son enduring what He did on the cross. This particular week always has me wanting to remember each day as it may have been during this week for Jesus.
On Palm Sunday, I picture the scene of Him riding on the donkey. His followers showering Him with their praises. I love when the pharisee tell Him to hush the praising people and He says, "If they don't, the stones will.". (Luke 19:40) And then, I think, are there times when rocks are having to sing His praises because I am too self-focused to be doing so?
Then, I realized a connection to stones today in 1 Peter 2:5. Jesus calls us his "living stones". He is our cornerstone and we are the stones of this spiritual house. It made me wonder if Jesus was referring to literal stones and then other followers as stones too. As to say, if these folks were to be quiet, there are plenty more who will not be.
Through out this week, I think of His disciples and family. If I was one of them, how would I have reacted? I fear I may have been like Peter. That makes my heart sad. I pray that when I am faced with denying Christ for my own safety or standing for Him at the risk of my life I will boldly stand for my faith. Though, I do understand the disciples fleeing and resisting. Can you imagine how terrifying those few days had to be? How sad and confusing?
Tonight, is when I think everyone would have been coming together for their last Passover together. I find it so ironic that I have celebrated many Passovers as a Jew, and have great knowledge about the ritual of the meal. I am thankful for those nights because it gives me such an imagine of the dinner Jesus attended.
To think that this evening, in Jesus' time, He would be praying with blood dropping from his brow because He was faithful to His Father's plan. My husband made such a beautiful point about this moment. In the Garden of Eden Adam chose his will over God's; in the Garden of Gesthemine, Jesus chose God's will over His own.
I hope that thought stays with me....not my will, but the Lord's, in whatever I am doing.
I think in this current culture, violence has become so diluted. With this, I think what Jesus actually endured starting tomorrow morning in his time, seems to not be such a big deal. But, let's pause and really think of what He did endure even before having to carry His own cross. He was beaten so badly that He was not recognizable. Stop. Look at who is sitting next to you and imagine what he would have to go through for you to not recognize him. That thought makes my heart hurt. After that, he was forced to wear a crown of thorns and a robe. A crown of thorns. Next time you see a rose bush imagine those stems being crushed into your head. The robe. The pain that had to come when it was ripped off of him, as it surely was stuck to his bloodied body had to be excruciating. Add to this the fact that He was being ridiculed and the scene is horrible.
We seem to often gloss over the actual act of being nailed to a cross. Have you ever experienced nailing a large nail into a cross? I have. It was an exercise we did at our home church in Jacksonville. It is one I will never forget. It is difficult to drive a nail smoothly and with one blow into such a hard wood. We like to think it was not so bad because the nails were in His hands. Goodness, I cannot imagine the pain and the agony of such a slow process.
From there, Jesus was on his death bed for hours. He endured for hours because of US! I weep at that thought. He died a very painful death for me before I even knew Him...even mocked Him. I could throw up at the thought of knowing there was a time in my life when I thought Jesus was not one to be praised and worshiped but to be mocked. A time when I though anyone who followed Him was a fool.
But...thankfully, I will get to Sunday. I will find a triumphant JOY! I will find the foundation of my faith. I will find an empty tomb. If Jesus just died we would have no faith. He would have just been a prophet. How happy I am that He is not just some prophet!!! He was laid in a tomb a man, and rose from it our God! That, my friends, gives me chills! That is why all of my crazy emotions this week conclude with absolute praise and delight. That is why we have the opportunity to spend our eternity in Heaven...right there with Jesus.
Our Easter would not be complete without coconut candies. I used to make my Grandma's recipe. Today, however, I re-wrote the recipe. Gasp! Sorry, Grandma! This new recipe is so yummy!!! Here it is in case you want to make something special for the weekend. I will also be making Grandma's peanut butter eggs.
Chocolate Covered Coconut Balls...or Coconut Cookies...you decide.
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 Tbs flour
1 egg, room temp
Mix all together until smooth. (This replaces 5 oz of condensed milk.)
Add to this:
2 c. powdered sugar
14 oz flaked coconut
Stir together until the sugar is melted and the coconut evenly coated.
From here, you can do one of two things.
Scope out even mounds (I use my smaller cookie scoop) and with damp hands roll into balls. Place in the refrigerator. Once hard and cool, cover in melted chocolate (your choice...I prefer dark chocolate).
Or...preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Gently press each mound so that if flattens to a disc. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes - until they are a bit bubbly and browned. Feel free to dip these in chocolate too!
Happy Easter, friends!
