Preparing our Hearts for Easter | How Great a Salvation!

Hebrews 12: 1-2

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Most us know the basics of what a Christian life should look like on the outside.  The behaviors and fruits that others should see.  But if you’re like me, some days it just feels like you are trying to squeeeeeeze out that fruit in your own power with very little success.  

Our ‘shoulds’ only get us so far.  Sometimes, on a good day, they may even make it out of the church parking lot.  But the things we delight and find joy in, those things motivate and carry us energetically forward.  

In the Psalms, David asked for God’s help to give him a willing spirit.  

Psalm 51:12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

This sounds like a very pious request until our finger drifts up to the opening description of that particular Psalm to find that this request came hot on the heels of his total and complete betrayal and transgression against his loyal soldier Uriah and Uriah’s wife Bathsheba.  It seems that David was painfully aware that he had thoroughly caved to his flesh and was in need of God to infuse in him a willing spirit to be able to obey God again. He knew that a willing spirit was rooted in taking joy in our salvation.  

How fresh is the joy of our salvation?

For many of us, we first met Jesus many, many years ago and may not have a very spicy conversion experience.  It can seem hard to take “joy in our salvation”, when, frankly, we don’t really remember being saved from anything.  

In the weeks leading up to Resurrection Sunday, we will spend some time each week remembering what Jesus has saved us from and what he is saving us for.  As we grow in both gratitude for his atonement and excitement for the everlasting life that awaits us, our capacity for joy as we celebrate Easter will blossom.

As we begin preparing our hearts for celebrating the finished work of Christ, here are a few questions to meditate on, take to Him in prayer, and discuss with your small group or accountability partner.

1. Lord, please show me what you’ve saved me from, even if I was a child when I started walking with you.

2. Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life. (from Ps.139 paraphrase, The Message)

3. Lord, please restore in me the joy of your salvation, tune my ears and eyes to see how you are working in my life and the world around me to redeem all things.

Preparing Our Hearts For Easter | Our Need

 

I’m excited that you’re joining me this year as we enter a season of preparation for celebrating Resurrection Sunday! This 40 day period preceding Easter has been celebrated in many ways throughout history. It is typically a time of prayer, fasting, bible reading, generosity, self-examination and service. It is my hope that this little note each week will be a part of a joyful journey of ascent towards Resurrection Sunday and that we arrive at our Easter celebrations filled with awe and gratitude for the joys set before us because of the work of Christ!

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Our Need

At Christmas time, we have extra commercial help in getting excited for “the season”. Months before, stores make sure that we are looking forward to buying their wares for our friends and family (and few little treats for ourselves, if we’re honest). Whether our focus is on the true reason for Christmas or not, exactly zero times have we gotten to Christmas Eve and said, “oh, that was today?!”

Easter, on the other hand, sneaks up on us. If you’re like me, you are rolling in hot to service on Resurrection Sunday realizing that you’ve probably spent more time trying to pick a cute spring outfit from your closet than contemplating the importance of what we are celebrating.

So, what’s the big deal about Easter, anyway? Can’t most of the preparation be tackled with a few clicks to buy outfits, adding some candy and plastic eggs to the grocery order, and/or snagging a brunch reservation? Why are we already talking about this in early March?

We are talking about it now because, if you’re like me, you get to that day and feel so frustrated with yourself for not being overwhelmed with awe and joy at the flabbergasting grace of a God. You know that your heart should be bursting with joy over the One who came to the earth, trampled death, hell and the grave and rose again to gain eternal life for us.

So, here’s the plan, this year we are taking some time to prepare our hearts by really taking a good look at our need, the greatness of salvation, the new life God has purchased for us, the joy set before is in eternity, and his worthiness to be praised.

As we begin preparing our hearts for this season, here are a few questions for us to meditate on, take to Him in prayer, and discuss with a small group or accountability partner.

1. Lord, you know my heart and my thoughts, please search them, you see me when I sleep and when I rise. Lord will show me if there is any offensive way in me that I need to turn from? Will you show me what the first step is in turning away from that sin?

2. Abba Father, will you begin to remind me this week of how you rescue me? Of the many ways and times in which I did not get the consequences my thoughts, attitudes, and actions deserved?

Hopefully this year these weekly notes and prayers will help us to break up the hard ground in hearts that gets beaten down by everyday life and help us fix our eyes on both our profound need for Savior and his astounding plan to rescue us. See you next week!

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Easter and the season of Lent that precedes it is “40 days set aside for “grace-ing” not groveling—an intentional season of surveying the wonders of the cross, pondering the depth of our need, culminating in the explosive joy of Easter Sunday” .
   -Scotty Smith | Lent or No Lent | The Gospel Coalition