Pastor Ken Keber, New Life Assembly, Tumbler Ridge, BC
On behalf of the Tumbler Ridge Ministerial association, I would like to wish you a happy and blessed Easter. Of course, this Easter is different from any that we have known in our lifetime. We have all been practicing social distancing, and some of us have self-quarantined, not knowing if we have the Corona Virus, or the common cold.
During the uncertainty that we all face, I am glad to declare some good news. There is hope in Jesus Christ. That first Easter may have been around 2,000 years ago, but the results of it is still changing lives today.
I read a story from ‘Paul Lee Tan’s book, Encyclopedia of 7,700 Illustrations that I thought was very fitting for this weekend.
Dr. Gordon one Easter brought an old beat-up bird cage and sat it next to the pulpit. As he gave his sermon that Easter morning, he held up the cage and said, “You might be wondering why this is here. As a matter of fact, that’s not the normal part of an Easter service, having a bird cage here.”
He said, “Let me tell you the story of it. Several days ago, I was noticing a little boy in tattered and torn blue jeans and a dirty T-shirt, cap off to the side, whistling, walking down an alley, swinging this bird cage. Clinging to the bottom of the cage were little field sparrows he had caught. So I stopped him and asked, ‘Say, sonny, what do you have there?’ He said, ‘Oh, I’ve got some birds.’ ‘What are you gonna do with them?’ I asked. ‘Oh, mess around with them, tease them, something like that.’ ‘Well,’ I asked, ‘when you get tired of them, what are you gonna do?’ He thought a moment and said, ‘Well, I got a couple of cats at home and they like birds. I think I’ll just let them have at ‘em.’”
Dr. Gordon said his heart went out to the little birds, so he made the little lad an offer. “How much do you want for the birds?” Surprised, the boy said, “Mister, these birds ain’t no good.” “Well” Dr. Gordon said, “regardless, how much would you like for them?” The little fellow said, “How about two bucks?” He said, “Sold.” So, he reached in his pocket and peeled off two dollar bills. The little boy shoved the bird cage forward pleased with his stroke of good fortune.
When the boy left, the pastor walked a good distance away, lifted open the little cage door and set them free.
This is a wonderful illustration of humanity. Regardless of what we believe, Satan has us all trapped in his snare. The Bible tells us that his purpose is to steel, to kill, and to destroy. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to pay the price so that we could be set free. The Bible says in John 8:36 “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” NKJV
The truth is, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the price for your sin, so that you can know life. This Easter weekend, can I encourage you to open your heart up to Jesus, and invite Him into your life. If you do, it will be the best decision you ever make.
