New Life
Easter occurs in the springtime, in March or April. It is the time when there are many baby animals and birds being born and hatching out of eggs! We eat delicious chocolate eggs and decorate cakes with tiny yellow toy chicks...and delight to see newborn lambs gambolling in the countryside.
Jesus is called the "Lamb of God". He replaced forever the sacrificial young animals we read of in the Old Testament. He gave His life for us all, so that whoever believes in Him can have the promise of eternity in heaven. The moment we turn to Him and PERSONALLY accept His death and resurrection we are "born again". We have all had a physical birth, from our mother, and now we have this Spirit-given birth. God's Holy Spirit comes to live within us, for ever.
Now let us consider your hot cross bun, another thing you may be eating at Easter time. It is round in shape with a curved top and looks a bit like a very small rock. The top of the bun has two pale strips of dough baked into it, placed one across the other at right angles. The mixture also contains currants or sultanas, and quite often a spice such as cinnamon.
Jesus, the Son of God, was crucified and hung on a wooden CROSS until He died. He was placed in a tomb; the entrance was sealed by a huge STONE in front of it and it was then guarded by Roman soldiers. But on Sunday morning Jesus had gone! He had defeated death and was alive again! Lots of people saw Him in the days before He ascended to heaven to be with God the Father. And what of the sultanas and spices? I have heard it said that these represent Christian people; living throughout the world they give "flavour" to life and they are "fruitful" in loving others and spreading the good news (the Gospel) about Jesus. The Easter story is the very heart of Christianity.