After I killed the easter bunny in the WGR class, I spent the rest of the evening talking about the pieces and pictures of this incredible rescue story, of Jesus saving the world. Then I asked the women what is something they were asking for this Easter to help them go deeper into the Redemption Story. Some said greater awareness of God. Some said more dependence. Some were just full of joy and gratefulness and wanted to share that more.

But one woman took my breath away.  She said she wanted the crucifixion story to be more real to her. She said she didn’t want to just say that Jesus died on the cross, and suffered all those terrible things, and not care. She didn’t want to be able to roll that off her tongue and have no emotional reaction to it. “I want to feel and believe it like this happened to someone I know.”

I gently said, “But we do know him.”  She said, “I know we do, but I don’t think about Jesus like I think about my boyfriend.  If my boyfriend went through that, I would be devastated, it would kill me, I would feel something.  I want to feel like that about Jesus, but I don’t.”

Jesus loves to answer these kinds of prayers. I so, so applaud this honesty.  And it makes me ask, is He someone we know? Do we really care what happened? What do you feel?  Guilt, obligation? Gratefulness, confusion? Unspeakable joy?

When I first heard her comment, in my spirit I thought, I DO know Him, I do care about what happened to Him.  But then the Holy Spirit showed me, “Now you do, Jana. But when He died for you, you did not.”

This is God’s love in action. That while we were yet sinners — cold hearted, dead in our sins, grieving him not, concerned not one whit for his agony — Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

Oh the beauty of celebrating the Redemption Story. To realize since the beginning of time, He is the ever-pursuing God.  Jesus did do, and is doing whatever it takes that we might experience this Holy relationship; that we would recognize the gift of “knowing Him,” and Him knowing us, up close and personal.

Look for Love this Resurrection Sunday.  May you discover the power and beauty of what happened to Someone you know.