Easter Promises

Happy Easter, dear reader! I pray that you are taking time today to celebrate the fulfilled promise of our Lord Jesus and to be with your loved ones. I know that I will be doing so starting with sunrise service at 6 AM in an hour (yes, I'm writing this at 4:51 AM). It's the first Easter I have the privilege of celebrating at my new Church home: Peace Lutheran Church here in Des Moines.

The fulfillment of the Easter promise today brings us the blessing of grace through our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ's triumph over death absolves us of our sin, counts us among God's children, and promises the ultimate and final blessing: life after death in the very presence our dear Lord. I could write in depth about this Easter promise, but I believe it is better left to those who are more articulate in their writing. Instead, I'd like to share with you some other specific promises this Easter brings to me.

On February 8, my best girl and I were married in Oskaloosa, Iowa. I won't pretend that, two months into marriage, that I know anything at all about married life. Still, I thank God every day for the beautiful woman by my side, one of my Lord's greatest gifts to me. So as I ponder Jesus's promise this Easter, I take the time to, first, remember the promises we made to each other: to love, honor, and cherish each other. Second, I take the time to pray that we are blessed with countless Easter Sundays together. Even after considering these things, I can anticipate with joy our life together after death, in heaven.

On July 12 (approximately), our little family will add a new member. Elizabeth Hazel is a blessing that brings me overwhelming happiness every single day. Tiffany and I have spent this weekend already planning for next Easter, when little Eliza will be old enough to toddle around collecting Easter eggs. We pictured our little family at Easter service, celebrating with our Church family. God has promised us this amazing gift, and -- by his grace -- we will see it fulfilled this summer. She'll be the first of our little gifts from God, but certainly not the last!

After service today, I will make the short drive down to Osceola to see the rest of my loving family. It's not often that we can all come together, so I thank God again for today. He has brought all of us through our individual struggles and kept us together through everything we've gone through as a family. I cannot possibly express how thankful I am for each of them, individually, much less how grateful I am to have such a wonderful family.

I know the focus of Easter Sunday is the promise and blessing of Grace through our Lord's death and resurrection. Still, I don't think he'll mind my recognition and appreciation of his other gifts either. I pray he blesses you, dear reader, and your loved ones this Easter.

Andrew