He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

I was asked to reflect on my Easter memories at Wesley Chapel. Of course, my most recent memories included the Egg Hunt (the true fastest two minutes in sports), Palm Sunday with the children singing and waving palm branches, Good Friday services and their sullen atmosphere, and Easter morning with its excitement and joy. I think my most recent memories are more child-centered because of my own children and seeing the excitement and joy on their faces as they celebrate our risen Savior. 

Thinking back through the years, I remember getting dressed up in frilly dresses with ruffled socks and shiny white shoes (sometimes even a fun hat) in anticipation of heading off to church to celebrate our risen Savior with my wonderful family. I remember Sunday School teachers hiding eggs in the downstairs classrooms or on the front lawn at our State Street home, doing so many fun activities to teach us about the resurrection. I remember the beautiful hymns we would sing and the pure joy that you could see on each and every face. But mostly, I remember the PEOPLE of Wesley Chapel. 

There has been a member of the Snelling family (my family) in Wesley Chapel since the late 1940s/early 1950s (my grandparents officially joined in 1950). I’ve never known an Easter that wasn’t celebrated with my Wesley Chapel family, and those memories are priceless to me. I can still hear the wonderful preaching of John Thrasher and the booming voice of Don Baldwin accompanied by his wonderful wife, Judy. The Easter hymns they would sing were, and always will be, my favorites. Reverend Amerson always had a piece of gum and a hug to give. I could look down the rows and see my family with smiles on their faces and so much joy. It wasn’t just the joy of being together, but the joy of knowing that even though we couldn’t be together forever on this Earth, we WILL be together forever in heaven. 

You see, Easter is more than just a story in the Bible. It is our HOPE for our future beyond this life. We have all seen hard times. Wesley Chapel has seen hard times.  But the one thing that we all can find hope in is that Christ is risen and we have the HOPE of eternal life, no matter what our circumstances may be. Christ is Lord and He is risen indeed! Happy Easter to my Wesley Chapel family!