Richard Yates says:

Are you looking forward to Christmas?

I’m guessing that got your attention! You’re probably surprised to be asked that as we approach Easter, but there is a point to my question.

The word “Christmas” evokes some sort of response in most (all?) of us, whether we’re excited or daunted by the idea.

However many Christmases we’ve experienced, there’s still something about it that resonates strongly with us - and prompts us to wait expectantly for it.

So, do we “look forward to” Easter in the same way as we “look forward to” Christmas? Maybe not - yet the events celebrated and commemorated by both are of equally huge importance.

Awe and wonder may still abound as we contemplate a baby born in a stable - God Himself becoming human and all the unusual and amazing events surrounding thatyet , if we’re honest, such responses may be in shorter supply when we think of that same child, now grown to adulthood, dying and coming back to life in order to heal our broken relationship with Him once and for all.

I was prompted to think about this by a song we sang at St Catherine’s a couple of weeks ago, which spoke of us standing “amazed” in Jesus’ presence, and that it’s both “marvellous” and “wonderful” to think of our Saviour’s self-sacrificial love for us. Does this truly represent my response to Easter - or yours? And, if not, why not?

Perhaps it’s easier to feel some kind of personal connection with Christmas? Maybe we can identify more easily with a new-born baby (we’ve all been one, after all!) than with the adult Jesus? The former is helpless, and we might feel as if we could ‘do something to help’.

The latter, though, is ‘in control’ - God in human form fully-formed - and it is we who need His help. Yet, the Bible tells us, He chose to make Himself “nothing”, to be His Father’s servant - and ours - in humbling Himself and allowing others to put Him to death (see Philippians 2).

For Christian believers, the death and resurrection of Jesus are historical - and historicevents and foundational to our faith. The definitely dead and buried Jesus; His definitely empty tomb; the evidence of 500+ witnesses (see 1 Corinthians 15:3-8) having seen the

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(Continued from page 3) risen Jesus; the changed lives of His disciples; and the testimony of millions, through the years since, of the presence and power of God - these all challenge each one of us to ask, “Why did these events take place, if not for the reason the Bible gives?”...which is that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)... but…“God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

As this Easter approaches, may we each take the time to be awe-struck anew by the events and purpose of that first Easter, marvelling at the wonder of God’s amazing grace expressed to us through Jesus.

START FRESH EVERY DAY!

'A quick-tempered person does foolish things.'

Proverbs 14:17 NIV

You overslept, the car wouldn't start, you were late for work, your computer crashed! These things can make you angry, but only if you let them. Solomon said, 'A quicktempered person does foolish things,' so if you fly into a rage, expect a rough landing!

The Bible says, 'Patience is better than strength. Controlling your temper is better than capturing a city' (Proverbs 16:32 NCV). Anger always comes back to bite you and ends up doing more damage than the thing that triggered it.

David said, 'Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar' (Psalm 5:3 MSG). Start by offering your day to God, then you will be less likely to react in anger when things go wrong.

One pastor writes: 'Our time here is short. What a shame to let something that happened - twenty years or twenty minutes ago - ruin your day. I've made up my mind to enjoy every single one. I may make mistakes; things may not go my way. I may be disappointed, but I'm going to live my life happy. I'm not going to let what does or doesn't happen steal my joy. Every morning I say, "Father, this is going to be a great day. I thank you that I have discipline, self- control; that I make good decisions. may not have done what I could have yesterday, but that day is gone. I'm going to do better today."'

Ever wonder why a car's windscreen is big and its rear-view mirror small? Because what's behind isn't nearly as important as what's ahead. So, keep looking ahead, and no matter what happens today, don't lose your peace.

This thought is taken from ‘The Word for Today’, Daily Bible reading notes produced quarterly by UCB (United Christian Broadcasters Ltd) PO Box 255, Stoke on Trent, ST4 8YY. If you would like to receive these free (although UCB do welcome donations) notes or those aimed at Secondary School age, call UCB on 01782 911 000