I think I’ve finally caught up on the sleep I was so desperately needing in the weeks leading up to our Easter celebration here at Bridgeway. This season is always met with sleep deprivation coupled with unbelievable spiritual highs – moments of intensely beautiful worship that ensue when our Bridgeway family comes together to celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My very first Easter service at Bridgeway was in 1993. My 7-year-old imagination was arrested and never released. What a joy it’s been to be here and bear witness to the amazing transformational ministry Bridgeway has embarked on over the last 30 years.
The Easter season is my favorite. I’ve always looked at it as a time of reflection and worship. This is when we celebrate Jesus’ victory on the cross. Without turning this into a sermon or a theology course, we must understand why the cross was necessary – why the atonement of Jesus is integral to God’s plan of salvation. Simply put, our sin was so dire, so impossibly large, that we needed an impossibly large sacrifice to atone for it. How do you solve an impossible problem? You do that with the help of an infinite God.
That’s why the gospel is good news! God did the work. Jesus paid it all. We are redeemed. Without Jesus, we’d be endlessly spinning our wheels in pursuit of something we’d never find. Purpose. Meaning. Salvation. Off to the daily races, going nowhere. Our vain pursuit of knowledge led us to believe the lie that we could “be like God” in His knowledge and wisdom. We pursued our own plans instead of His. We lost sight of love Himself. Yet God intervened and gave us a way out of our relentless tailspin of monotony. He did it when He didn’t have to. Again, such good news!
When Jesus paid our debt, we were able to realize that the love that we sought had always been there. Once we understood this truth, we could accept His invitation and grab hold of the love that was always there from the beginning. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This is reason enough for us to praise Him. Forever.
My job gives me the amazing opportunity to share these thoughts in creative expression. Never would I have thought almost 30 years ago when I first saw a Bridgeway production that this would be my role here at Bridgeway. But God “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). He did just that this past Easter in our Easter production, “Pure Imagination.” If you haven’t seen it yet, or want to watch it a second time now that you have insight into the symbolism, check it out now! It was my honor to produce it and I hope you are blessed by it.
Wednesday Night Alive is back! There are discipleship classes for every step of your spiritual journey. You can sign up here.
If you are feeling discouraged or need help or support, please contact Care.
If you are looking for activities where you can meet others, check out our Events.
If you are looking for people to do life with, connect with our Groups.