IN THEORY:

What is your Easter wish this year?

My Easter wish is that people all over the world will come to personally know the Savior who died for our sins, and defeated death when he rose bodily from the grave. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the message of hope that penetrates the darkness of sin and despair.

My wish is for people to hear what the two Marys heard on the first Easter morning 2,000 years ago: “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said, Come see the place where the Lord lay.” Matt. 28:6

Pastor Dwight Tomlinson

Liberty Baptist Church

Newport Beach

Easter is about life overcoming death.

So as I consider my Easter wish, I pray for growth in the dead places of our lives: our individual and our corporate lives together in society. Jesus was a man who died for his belief in peace.

So I pray that we will uphold peace and strive to attain it. Let’s end the war in Iraq; let’s stop the violence in Darfur.

He died because he dared to believe that all people could and should be able to break bread together regardless of their nationality, gender, ability, and social status.

In order for us to celebrate Easter every year, we have to first witness Jesus’ death and remember why he went to the cross in the first place: to stand when no one else would. Can Christians today face the cross?

Are we willing to make the stand for peace, for justice, for all? We celebrate Easter when we meet the cross head on, walking boldly in the footsteps of Jesus. It is then we become Easter people when Christ lives again in us.

My prayer is that the Man from Galilee, the one who taught us to be a servant to all, and not a slave to our own self interest, the one who envisioned a just and dignified world, might live in our hearts and embolden us to live today.

Rev. Sarah Halverson

Fairview Community Church

Costa Mesa

For Resurrection Day my greatest desire is for the Kingdom of God to expand on earth, which would manifest itself in the following ways:

It would mean that God’s people lived balanced lives that were worth giving away. They would live with an eternal perspective on life and the present reality of God’s Kingdom.

It would also mean they would reflect the heart of God and pursuit of justice, especially for the poor, the oppressed and the disenfranchised.

The world would be astonished at what is happening in places like Darfur and actually do something about them.

Globally, children would get the help they need to rid their lives of so many massively destructive yet easily resolved diseases. They would get the nutrition they need, fresh water, and basic medicines.

The family would take its central role in society again. There would be no absentee fathers and celebutante scandals because parents would be involved in their children’s lives in ways more meaningful than just buying them a new car for their birthday.

The best part of all of this is that I actually believe it is doable. It is what I focus my efforts on daily.

Ric Olsen

Lead Pastor