The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!    -John 1:29

Ready for Easter?

For ministry leaders, Easter is a big celebration. Your worship community may be planning a grand presentation, thinking about all the people who will come and experience God through your service. That’s great—and by all means—go forward with your plans.

But let’s make sure we start with a deeper point of preparation. Let’s start with our hearts. Easter needs to be a time of spiritual renewal for the leaders too. We need to feel the surge of energy that comes from reflecting on the cosmic events that make up our Easter celebration. Jesus came to live with us, died for us in order to take away our sins, and defeated death on our behalf as he arose from the grave!

Perhaps we can learn from the example of John the Baptist. His words at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry foreshadowed the coming of Easter. John had it right when he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

John didn’t just let those words roll off his tongue in a lazy manner. He ecstatically proclaimed the truth about the Christ. Jesus came to liberate us from sin and make us into a beautiful people born of God (John 1:13).

As you approach Easter this weekend, begin with your heart. Don’t let the message of Easter be drowned out by the hectic pace of activites. Instead, let the message of Jesus—crucified and resurrected—be the heart of your meditation in the days ahead. After all, the Easter event is at the center of our faith. It’s the reason we do what we do.

With joy…celebrate Easter!