‘Easter reveals the greatest story ever told’

MANY, many years ago now, I was involved in some presentational training for the bank I then worked for, and we were to do a three minute presentation on any subject we wanted.

I chose the Christian story of Jesus and titled it ‘Is God dead’? Having done that we learned that to be effective we should use some ‘p’ words. In this instance ‘p’ stood for positive words, for power words for people words and so on.

Taking this on board overnight I changed the title of my presentation from ‘Is God dead’? to ‘The greatest story ever told’ which sounded much more positive in terms of what we had learned the evening before and the presentation went very well. So much so that a senior banker approached me at the end and said he had a lovely house, a great car, a yacht and was well off … but he had nothing, and I was able to tell him about all the richness there was in God who would give him a real purpose for living.

This story reminded me about what happened that Eastertime so many years ago. On the Friday, Jesus was condemned to an awful death, beaten about and then hung on a tree for His life to end and you might be forgiven for thinking that all was lost.

Then on the Sunday morning, His tomb was found empty with the giant stone, there to seal it, rolled away. Jesus had risen from the dead and by His selfless life paved the way for you and I to be forgiven and come back to God as our everlasting and so loving Father.

The darkness and apparent hopelessness of the Friday was turned upside down, and then some, as Sunday showed God’s plan for you and me which cost his dear and only Son Jesus to die and pay the penalty for man’s sinning and to bring us everlasting and powerful lives for ever.

Easter means forgiveness. Easter shows God’s love for you and for me. Easter means a new start for us, free from guilt and shame. Easter means God’s life in your life and His power changing things wherever you go. No wonder this weekend can be called the greatest story ever told.