For
most of us Easter is a time
of year we associate with chocolate
eggs, bunnies, “bonnets”,
sporting fixtures and bank holidays.
It’s a time for us all
to rest and spend time with
family and friends. But why?
Where does this holiday find
its origins and what’s
the connection with our daily
lives?
We all desire freedom, happiness and love,
but for many different very valid reasons,
things and people can weigh us down. In
these moments of burden we choose to sink,
or learn from our experiences and move on.
We quite literally choose death or a new
start.
In a similar way,
the Easter story presents us with the same
kind of choice. At the heart of the Easter
message is the reality of being offered,
in a very tangible way, eternal freedom
from our burdens, guilt and inner turmoil.
What’s on offer is liberation, hope
and new life in its fullness. Even today,
it’s a message that changes and transforms
lives.
“It
is only through the mystery of self-sacrifice
that one may find oneself anew.”
Based on a quote by Carl
Gustav Jung,
Pan Dictionary of Religious Quotations, pg. 368:7.
During the
three days of Easter (Easter Triduum) –
Maundy
Thursday, Good
Friday and Easter Sunday, Christians live
the suffering death and rising from the dead
of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
They experience what one famous film calls
“The Greatest Story Ever Told".
They experience victory over shame, death
and suffering to be led to new life.
What
would you consent to give up or ‘die to’
in your life, if you knew it would lead to something
better?
Colour illustration by Elizabeth Wang:
The Resurrection
Copyright (c) Radiant Light 2004. All rights reserved.
www.radiantlight.org.uk
Before you assume you know what Easter means
read this! Also see our Easter stories - new for 2009!
Easter is the most important celebration in
the Christian year (it’s even bigger than
Christmas). It is a time when you let go of
the old and step into the new. Even if you don’t
know the whole Easter story you can still experience
it and act on the message….it’s
your chance to let go of your ‘baggage’
and step into the new. Allow rebirth into the
areas of your life that need it.
Sometimes we
need to quite literally shed something to make room
for a new and better way of living.
Experiencing
New Life!
Out of change can come a renewal
and a richer quality of life.
Why not try changing some part
of your life for a while and
see how you feel? Whether you
are ‘religious’
or not, allow yourself to ‘walk
with God’ a while and
see how it sits. Note how things
change in your life. Don’t
know how? Each day try one or
more of these (keep a diary
if you like).
• Be hopeful and look
forward. If anything at all
is bothering you or is difficult
for you right now, then ‘hand
the problem up’ and see
what happens. (Be patient!)
• Write down five positive
things about yourself. Also,
include the human gifts that
you feel you have.
• Make a date and time
commitment to start or re-start
a hobby or interest you’ve
given up or had to put aside.
If you like
the effects on your life, keep
going! Christians, believe however,
that they can’t change themselves.
It’s Jesus Christ who helps
them change, and transforms them
at their request and with their
consent.
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