BRIEF EASTER BONUS DEVOTION

 BONUS: EASTER SUNDAY -  Apr 9, 2023; Mar 31, 2024; Apr 20, 2025

Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ -1 Peter 3:21

Christ is risen (Alleluia). And you with him (Alleluia). All debts are forgiven, nailed to the cross. Alleluia! Victory is ours. 

This was the first word we read this Lenten season. Let it be the first word for you this Easter one too. It proclaims (as we have noted) that baptism ties us to the saving power of this day.

Don't believe it, then read this: Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. -Romans 6:3-4

That was the last word we read this Lenten season. It not only proclaims the power of the cross, but the journey baptism brings us on to this Resurrection day.

Not good enough? There were 8 other words we cycled through these last 40 days (plus the words we read for each Sunday). Go back, reread them, hear the gospel in their words. Resurrection is at the gospel's core. It was in fact the beginning of its sharing as when Mary proclaimed "I have seen the Lord!" (John 20:18).

This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. For you, dear Jesus, won the victory. You have made it my own. I know this because you baptized me, and I believe it, Lord. Amen, I believe it. And so I rejoice this day and raise to you my alleluias. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.

(Thank you, dear readers, for following along this Lenten season)

This post is a part of my daily Lenten devotional on Baptism. You can read more about it here.