Heroes……

Easter season has come and gone. But I was still reminded of this time of year yesterday as I walked through the grocery store. There remains a section of discounted Easter items the store is trying to get rid of. So naturally, my mind wandered to the subject of Easter and what it means (most likely because there was no chocolate left in the clearance section).

Why do we celebrate Easter? What is Easter really all about? No, not some stupid bunny running around hiding eggs (where did a rabbit get his paws on all those eggs anyway?).

It is about our Savior, right? So I typed the word “Savior” into Microsoft Word, then highlighted the word and selected the Thesaurus button, and learned a lot.

The words that appeared are…..
1. redeemer – He certainly is our redeemer, isn’t He.
2. rescuer – Jesus rescued us from sin by dying on the cross.
3. Liberator – He liberated us from the evil one when He stood up and walked out of that tomb. Yes, He is risen, indeed.
4. champion – He championed over the devil by conquering death and the grave.
5. knight in shining armor – He is our knight in shining armor. He is our Hero.

So then I typed in the word Hero and got these…..
1. brave man – Jesus is most definitely the bravest man in all of history. Not only did He go through all that torture and pain and suffering on our behalf, but He knew all about it ahead of time. And He still chose to go through with it. That is truly a brave man.
2. superman – Jesus is more than just a “superman”.
3. conqueror – Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for your sins and mine and conquered death and the grave and opened the way for us to also conquer the sin in our lives so it will no longer have a stronghold over us. We too can conquer sin simply by calling on the name of Jesus and trusting in His saving grace and power.

What comes to mind when you think about a Hero?

What does a “Hero” look like to you?
In the movies, or TV or in story books, the hero, or Knight in Shining Armor, is the guy who rides in at just the right time to save the day.
The Hero usually saves all the “good” people, and punishes or destroys the “bad” people. And the main character he saves is the beautiful damsel who will, by the end of the story, become his bride. And she’s always pretty, and is usually a princess. Someone of royalty.
The Hero never marries the ugly, dirty damsel. Always the beautiful princess.

My Hero?
He didn’t come to save good people. He came to save all the people, the good and the bad. He didn’t just come to defeat the villain, he also laid down His very life for his bride.
And His bride? She was dirty and ugly and had other lovers and repeatedly rejected Him.
Something else you should know is that His bride is the very one who killed Him.
But He gave His life for her because He loves her so very much.

Are you ready for this?

That bride, is us.

When you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, you become a part of the Bride of Christ. Yeah, He left paradise to come here and save His bride, knowing full well who she is and what she is like. He loves you and me that much.

Jesus said, “Behold, I make all things new”.
When you become a follower of Jesus, you are made new. You are made clean in the eyes of God, you are “washed white as snow”.

What was once ugly, is made beautiful.
What was once dirty and filthy, is made clean.
What was once old and worn, is made new.
The weak become strong and the condemned become forgiven.
Through Him, we will know God and spend our eternity in Heaven, in paradise with Jesus.

Jesus said that there is no greater love than someone who will lay down his life for his friends.
Is Jesus your buddy? Are you a friend of God?

“Easter” just took on a whole new meaning for me.

So, who is your Hero?



Blessings.