By Debby Giusti
Happy Easter, dear friends!
Although we celebrated Christ’s Resurrection on Sunday, the
Easter Season spans a total of fifty days and draws to a close on Pentecost. All of which means that our Easter celebration continues until June 5th.
Easter is the pinnacle of our Christian faith, but the true
meaning of Easter cannot be fully realized without walking with Christ through
his Passion and Death.
Scripture reveals the three years of the Lord’s public ministry
that leads to Jerusalem in preparation for Passover. The crowds hail Christ with
palms all the while sinister elements plot His demise.
Tension builds as Christ and the Apostles gather in the Upper Room. The Lord washes their feet, showing by example that He is the Suffering Servant and highlighting the importance of serving others.
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| The Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci, late 1490s. Milan. [PD-US] |
That same night, Judas betrays Christ for thirty pieces of silver. The Roman guards arrest Him. He is taken to the high priest and eventually sentenced to death.
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| Ecce Homo. (Behold the Man!), Antonio Ciseri, 1860-1880, Switzerland. [PD-US] |
Christ, the Unblemished Lamb, endures excruciating pain as
he is scourged and beaten. Contemplating his battered body is almost more than
we can bear as He stumbles along the rocky path to Golgotha, knowing it is
because of our sins that he embraced the cross.
His friends abandon Him with only His Mother and the
Beloved Disciple, along with a few women, remaining steadfast at the foot of the cross. A lance pierces His
side, and blood and water pour from His dying body while He speaks words of
compassion, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”
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| Christ Crucified, Diego Velazquez, c. 1632, Prado Museum. [PD-US] |
The somberness of death overwhelms us as we reflect on his body lowered from the cross, caressed by his heartbroken mother, then washed with aromatic oils, wrapped in linen and laid in a newly hewn tomb.
All seems lost, but on the third day, the Lord triumphs
over death, He conquers sin and salvation is won for all those who embrace Him
as their Lord and Savior.
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| Resurrection of Christ, Noël Coypel, 1700, France. [PD-US] |
The Paschal Mystery of passion, death and resurrection shows
us how we are to live our own lives and is an important element to add to our
stories, along with sacrificial love and redemption.
In life as well as in fiction, evil confronts good, but good
should always conquer the darkness, just as the Lord conquered sin and death
and opened the Gates of Paradise so we could enjoy Eternal Life with Him.
He is Risen, dear friends! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Wishing you a joyous Easter Season,
Debby Giusti
SMUGGLERS
IN AMISH COUNTRY
By
Debby Giusti
Uncovering secrets in this Amish town
could deliver deadly
consequences.
When
the robbery suspect she’s tracking begins attacking delivery girls in Amish
country, officer Marti Sommers must go undercover as bait. With ex-cop Luke
Lehman’s niece as one of the targets, this case is personal. After all, Marti’s
rookie mistake ended with Luke injured and another officer dead. But can the
two former colleagues stop a deadly smuggling ring…before Marti becomes the
next victim?
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Good morning, dear Seekerville family! Yesterday's welcome for Dana, Jaime and Pepper was so much fun. If you haven't read that post, be sure to do so today and give a shout out to the new members to our blog!
ReplyDeleteI've brought muffins and fresh fruit for our breakfast table. The coffee's hot and the tea is brewing so pour a cup of your favorite hot beverage and enjoy the goodies provided.
I'll be at Bible Study this morning, followed by an end of class lunch, but be assured that I'll return in the early afternoon to respond to your comments and to join in any ongoing discussions.
Enjoy this beautiful Wednesday in the Octave of Easter! As I mentioned in my blog post, He is Risen! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thank you for this beautiful reminder.
ReplyDeletePEPPY!!!!!!!!!!! I missed yesterday's post. I am so happy you have joined the Seekers. You have a great deal to offer. Look forward to chatting with you more often. PS, Captain America would approve.
DeleteKathy Bailey
Known in Seekerville as Kaybee
So good to see your comment, Pepper, and as KB said, to have you with us in Seekerville!
DeleteHappy Easter Wednesday! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Debby, this is deep.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I "Lost" "Easter" this year, due to everything going on, but the beauty of Easter is that it's year-round. And life-round. The Resurrection is just the beginning. And thanks for reminding us that Easter is a Season.
I try to incorporate the Resurrection into my work through the concept of transformed lives. I deal with broken people (currently I write about the Old West, so there are tons of ways for someone to get "broken"). In "Redemption's Hope," out July 22, Jenny Thatcher has cleaned the "outside of the cup," but what she was and did still plague her until she comes to full surrender. It's not how much you have of God, it's how much He has of you. I try to incorporate this in all my fiction, which I guess is kind of the point of Christian fiction. There has to be that other dimension.
Oh, Debby, you brought food. I have missed our virtual food.
This is a catch-up day for me. Doing PR for my TWO books out this summer. Be careful what you wish for, and then wish it anyways.
Kathy Bailey
Your Kaybvee
Reaping the harvest in New Hampshire
KB, I'm so thrilled about your stories and the Paschal Mystery that you incorporate into your writing. Yes, that Resurrection theme is so important and goes hand in hand with redemption!
DeleteI probably should have mentioned how important the climax is in our stories--the clash of good vs evil--which is what we see in the Passion Narratives! Christ won it all for us and brought salvation to the world. As you mentioned, the Easter message is year-round and life-round. We are Easter People! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Seriously. This is what separates us from the Hallmark Channel.
ReplyDeleteSo true, KB! I've been a bit disappointed with Hallmark over these last few months as they try to be more "of the world." Certain elements in their more recent stories have me raising my brow and sometimes turning off the channel. I hope they soon realize who their viewers are and what they want to see...and, most especially, what they don't want to see.
DeleteYes, Kathy! Christians and our work need to be different than everything else out there otherwise where are people going to get any Truth?
DeleteThis is so good, Debby. Easter is so dull of everything that makes for compelling stories: conflict, good and evil, hope, tragedy, redemption. It resonates in us because it is Truth. Thanks for the reminder of why our stories matter too, and why we need to share Jesus with as many people as we can. We are Resurrection people. What great news!
ReplyDeleteFull, not dull, obviously! Lol
DeleteGlynis, thanks for your lovely comment. So glad we share a faith in the Lord! Yes, we have the truth! Amen!
DeleteDebby, thank you for the great meditation! Very moving, dear friend.
ReplyDeleteDana, so glad you're part of our Seekerville family! Woot! And Hugs!
DeleteThank you, Debby. You always have a wonderful way of sharing the Gospel message. I wanted to tell you that I received your book in the mail today that I won here in Seekerville. I look forward to reading it soon. It really looks good! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteSo glad the book arrived at long last! Thanks for your patience, dear Sandy!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this moving devotion! Blessings!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing Debby. I love celebrating throughout Lent and what Christ has done for us. God blessings on you.
ReplyDelete