Joy A. Mead

When I think about the fragility in our world, I am absolutely amazed that God would bother with making a rescue plan for humanity. The fighting, the wars, the sickness, the hatred, the poverty, the sadness, the pain—all are signs of the reality of human brokenness. If our bleak circumstances were all we could look toward, it would be natural for us to give up on life itself and lose all sense of hope.

Yet God, in his mercy and grand perspective, could see past all of the world’s flaws and brokenness to declare hope for each person willing to accept his rescue plan and the Rescuer. God chose to offer us more than we could ever deserve.

And that, my friends, is why the Easter story is the very definition of unconditional love. It transcends our human understanding of value and worth, when we stop to recognize that God did not owe us anything. Still, Jesus demonstrated the purest, most unselfish love by dying for us.

Reading, once again, through the events leading up to Easter, I am filled with awe for the focus with which Jesus went through each step toward the cross—he knew his mission and truly surrendered to the Father’s will.

The night before his death, Jesus spent his last free hours with his dear friends and encouraged them to keep celebrating the Lord’s supper in remembrance of him—the bread to represent his broken body and the wine to symbolize his blood poured out for his disciples and for all mankind. (Luke 22:19-20)

His final prayer at the Mount of Olives saw him asking God the Father if there was any other way to save the world and in the same sentence, he delivered a most humble offering of himself to say, “Yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)

Despite humiliation, torture, cruelty, and hatred, Jesus knew that he was the only one who could defeat death and everything evil. The perfect lamb became our sacrifice. He chose to forgive the people for their ignorance and wrongdoings. (Luke 23:34)

“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit,” (Luke 23:46) testifies that even to the very end of his life, Jesus was wholeheartedly committed to God’s will. He saw beyond our weaknesses, flaws, and sins, to extend to us an offer of unconditional love that would change the entire fate of humanity for those who would believe in him.

May we pause to recognize, acknowledge, and accept the beautiful offering of new life that can only be found by believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In humility, may we each have an overflowing gratitude for the gift of unconditional love, willingly and passionately offered to each soul.

Each time we see the image of the cross, may we be reminded that God deeply loves us, forgives us, provides for us, and wants to know us personally through the risen Christ Jesus.