The Scotts: Easter

Easter is my favorite holiday to celebrate for so many reasons. It is the most meaningful time of the year to reflect on how much God loved us that he let his Son die on the cross for our sins. I have been a in season of thankfulness when I'm praying because this act of love changed the way we worship the Father and he showed us that he wants to have a relationship with us.

"But Christ being come a high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us" (Hebrews 9:11-12).

I never had a full understanding of the Tabernacle until I did the LIFE series at my church. I feel like Christians today take it for granted that we get to worship God however and whenever we want because it was not always like this. I read a great depiction of the Tabernacle and the significance of the veil and how Jesus changed the way for us.

So the presence of God remained shielded from man behind a thick curtain during the history of Israel. However, Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross changed that. When He died, the curtain in the Jerusalem temple was torn in half, from the top to the bottom. Only God could have carried out such an incredible feat because the veil was too high for human hands to have reached it, and too thick to have torn it. (The Jerusalem temple, a replica of the wilderness tabernacle, had a curtain that was about 60 feet in height, 30 feet in width and four inches thick.) Furthermore, it was torn from top down, meaning this act must have come from above.

As the veil was torn, the Holy of Holies was exposed. God’s presence was now accessible to all. Shocking as this may have been to the priests ministering in the temple that day, it is indeed good news to us as believers, because we know that Jesus’ death has atoned for our sins and made us right before God. The torn veil illustrated Jesus’ body broken for us, opening the way for us to come to God. As Jesus cried out “It is finished!” on the cross, He was indeed proclaiming that God’s redemptive plan was now complete. The age of animal offerings was over. The ultimate offering had been sacrificed.

We can now boldly enter into God’s presence, “the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.” (Hebrews 6:19-20)

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body …let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” (Hebrews 10:19-22)

The Holy of Holies is a representation of heaven itself, God’s dwelling place, which we have access now through Christ. In Revelations, John’s vision of heaven — the New Jerusalem — also was a perfect square, just as the Holy of Holies was (Revelation 21:16).

“For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. …But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Hebrews 9:24-26)

This is so powerful and I thank God everyday for sending his Son, Jesus, to live and die for me.

Here are some pictures of how we celebrated our risen Savior

We went to the Church of the Highlands Easter Service on Friday with the Scotts so I snapped a few pics before we left.

The Easter Bunny made a visit to our house!

Sawyer has a new nickname,"Bruiser". He is starting to walk and while this is an exciting time and a big milestone, it is also nerve racking! I came home from running errands to a crying baby who hit his eye on his play table. It was swollen so we tried to putting an ice pack on it but he cried worse then when he fell. The next morning he had a black eye, it was so sad! Just in time for Easter pictures!