The three aims of my Easter Article are that it makes the reader laugh and cry, and that it resonates with some deep thought. The title propelled me well on my way.
Some simple rules of chocolate (from the Internet): if chocolate melts on your hands, you're eating it too slowly; chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want; Chocolate has many preservatives which help you look younger; AND put "eat chocolate" on your list of things to do today - that way, at least you'll get one thing done.
From cyberspace I bring you this tale: There once was a big turntable bridge spanning a large river. A watchman sat on one side of the river operating the controls to turn the bridge and lock it into place as trains crossed.
One evening as the switchman saw a train approach, he waited until it was within the prescribed distance when he was to turn the bridge. To his horror, he found the locking control didn't work. He hurried across the bridge to the other side where there was a lever to operate the lock manually. He could hear the rumble of the train now, and he grabbed the lever and leaned backward to lock the bridge. Many lives depended on his strength.
Then, from across the bridge, he heard a sound that made his blood run cold! "Daddy, where are you?" his four-year-old son was crossing the bridge to look for him. His first impulse was to cry out to the child: "Run!" but the train was too close; the tiny legs would never make it across the bridge in time. He had to decide: either the people on the train or his little son must die.
He made his decision. The train sped swiftly and safely on its way, and no one aboard was aware of the tiny, broken body thrown mercilessly into the river. Nor were they aware of the pitiful figure of a sobbing man, still clinging tightly to the lever long after the train had passed.
Now you and I can comprehend the emotions which went through our Heavenly Father when he sacrificed His Son to bridge the gap between us and eternal life. Can there be any wonder that He caused the earth to tremble and the skies to darken when Jesus died?
And how does our Father feel when we speed along life without giving a thought to what was done for us through Jesus? When was the last time you thanked God for the sacrifice of His Son?
The mercy of God is a surprise! When Jesus was confronted by the woman caught in adultery (John 8), what happened? He didn't condemn her, and he doesn't condemn us. Instead he died for us so that he can offer us the same invitation, "Go and sin no more".
The price of our sins, which Jesus paid, should make us weep. But all we have to do is turn to him and ask him for the forgiveness he offers. Then we can cross that Easter bridge to a joy much greater than chocolate Easter bunnies!
