By: Dan Austin, Director

As we approach the Easter celebration, it is going to be different this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There will not be the traditional Easter worship services or cantatas. While I’m grateful for the virtual worship services, they just have a different feel than gathering with other believers/family. There will not be the traditional family gatherings. There will not be the traditional Easter Egg Hunts or Drops, or whichever variety you have grown to enjoy. Not many people are investing in new Easter outfits, although there are many jokes being passed around about this year’s Easter attire. Let’s not forget about the traditional Easter sweets. With people making fewer trips to the retail stores, candy sales are expected to noticeably decline.

With all of the “fluff” or “extras” removed from our Easter, what is left? Well, it only leaves the very basis of this very special holiday. What is left is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the true and living God. The question becomes can we really make this one day about nothing else except the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus? It’s not that we have left Jesus out of Easter. Instead, we have just added so much other stuff that Jesus only gets a small portion of the celebration. This year, there will not be a lot of other stuff.

So, what will Easter look like for you?

This year our celebration of Easter will be especially significant. During the last 12 months, we have seen three of our children accept God’s gift of salvation. This gift is a direct result of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The death of Jesus paid the penalty for our disobedience to God. The burial of Jesus laid to rest our old disobedient sinful nature. The resurrection of Jesus granted to each person who is willing to accept God’s free gift of salvation a new life which is empowered by the Holy Spirit.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17

We are so excited these three young ladies have made the choice for salvation. We continue to daily live out the truths of Jesus Christ in hopes that everyone of the children who come to Joy Ranch will choose to accept this gift from God and follow Him.

Our Easter Sunday will include baskets. A precious friend of Joy Ranch has been making Easter baskets for each of our children for several years now and has already delivered them for this Easter. We will do a few other things for them to enjoy as well. However, we are making sure Jesus is featured throughout this special day. He is worth celebrating. He is worth celebrating with no distractions or fluff or extras.

We hope your Easter will be a day filled with Jesus.