Easters Past and Present

During the Easter season, I cannot help but reminisce about the amazing experience I had four years ago of doing a study abroad in Jerusalem and I feel inclined to share. While there, I came to know Christ and understand His life in a way that I hadn't in the past. I happened to be there for Easter, and had the opportunity of experiencing Easter in a few different ways. The sabbath day in Jerusalem is Saturday, so the Saturday before Easter we had a nice sacrament meeting and it was a special experience to speak of Christ's resurrection while looking over the city in which it took place.
That night, I went to midnight mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It was humbling to see so many Christians from all over the world gathered together in honor of Christ's resurrection, but for how holy of an event this was supposed to be, I was surprised by how irreverent it seemed. We showed up hours early in order to get a spot inside. Shortly after, the building was packed, there were people touching me on all sides. We were sandwiched in so tight and the heat was incredible. There were people pushing and fighting for a better spot, and to be honest, I never figured out what we were trying to see. I expected some sort of ceremony or sermon, but from where I stood, there never seemed to be one.
The highlight of Jerusalem's celebrations for me was sunrise ceremony at the Garden tomb. We walked to the garden at 4:30 in the morning to get in line before it opened. We sat outside the garden for the next hour singing hymns about Christ and his resurrection. This was a special time for me to be in this amazing place with so many people that I had grown to love dearly, honoring the life and death of our Savior. The spirit was very strong and it was an amazing feeling that I hope to never forget. Although the feeling changed as we entered the garden, it was still a positive one. The ceremony was one of great celebration, with a live band, upbeat songs, lots of clapping, and"Hallelujahs!" It was like a big party and it was a joy to see so many people truly celebrating Christ's resurrection. As much as I enjoyed this, it still did not compare to the simple spirit and reverence I felt before the ceremony, sitting with my friends singing hymns.
I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to experience these many things and the opportunity I have to sit and remember them every year. I know that Jesus Christ loves me. He gave His life for me. And He lives again!
This Easter was not quite as eventful as that Easter four years ago, but it was nice all the same. We went to church and later had a delicious dinner with Steve's sister, Betsy and her daughters, Brittany and Karissa, and his brother, Roger and his son, Luke. And it was another excuse to take pictures, so enjoy :)