Reflection for April 2026
EASTER 2026
Have you ever wondered why ‘Good Friday’ is called ‘Good Friday'? Or how the death of a man on a cross could have anything to do with goodness? Do you appreciate how wonderful Good Friday is? It is called ‘Good’ because of the choice Jesus made to allow himself to be nailed to a cross; to voluntarily give His life as a willing sacrifice for each one of us. So that through His death we could be forgiven for every wrong choice we have made in our lives.
Did you know that Jesus was with God at the beginning of time? In John’s Gospel it says:
‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.’ Jesus here is the ‘Word’. It was always God’s plan for Jesus to have to suffer on the cross, in order to defeat the sin we are all born with, thanks to Adam and Eve, the first man and woman who disobeyed God. But Jesus was rejected by His own people, who chose to save a known criminal, and also allowed to face death by the Roman Governor, Pilate, who could have saved Him, but decided that he preferred to avoid a riot. How often do we see politicians make ‘political’ choices, rather than the ‘right’ and ‘just’ choice?
So, Jesus was put to death and buried in a borrowed cave, with a large stone placed over the entrance. And there his body lay for three days until the early hours of that first Easter Sunday morning. We are told by Luke that the women had gone to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body with spices, as was the custom. We are told the women included Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, the mother of James, and some others. What did they find? An empty tomb! Jesus had risen, hallelujah!
What does this mean to you? To those of us who are Christians, who believe by faith that Jesus is the Son of God who was crucified, dead and buried and who rose again on the third day, this is the most glorious truth. Jesus is alive, and today reigns in heaven alongside His Father.
If you don’t know Jesus yet, can I invite you to take the opportunity this Easter to pray with someone who does know Him. Please join us on the Seawall on Easter Sunday morning @ 9am (opposite Miriam’s Tea Cottage), which is followed by breakfast at Emmaus Church and an Easter Celebration Service. Or, if that’s too much, just to say this simple prayer:
Lord, I believe you are the Son of God, I’m sorry for everything I’ve done wrong, please forgive me and come into my life. Amen.
Happy Easter Everyone!
Sue Sandmann and Paul Selby