Our 4 year old granddaughter loves our seashell collection.   She tells us multiple times how much she loves them.  You guessed it.  We’re giving her our precious seashell collection!  But we tell her that she’ll get them a little at a time, everytime she visits us.  Aren’t we sneaky?  Dangling a shell in front of her eyes to keep her coming back!  Are we not enough of a draw?

I was telling her that it’s fun to share.  Immediately she told me what she had learned at  pre-school– ‘sharing is caring’.   I like that.  I found our children’s Bible that we’ve read to our grandchildren.  Wanted to share with her the Easter story.  The ultimate story of sharing because Someone is caring.  Not just someone.  God– sharing His only Son.  Giving Him for us who deserve nothing but the back of His hand.  Wanting to give us His salvation.  Wanting to because He loves us so very much.

What a strange story.  Strange in that none of us would ever give any of our children to die for someone who could care less, who would spit in our face given the opportunity.  Would you?   I wouldn’t.  But He did.  As the verse says, ‘For God so loved the world…’  Loved.  Not just liked or tolerated.  That would be me on a good day.  No,  He loves us– all who are in this world.  All who receive Him into their hearts.  Is that you?  It was me when I was sixteen hearing this message for the first time–that God loved me and cared about every itsy-bitsy part of my life.  I couldn’t believe it.

But I did believe it– that it is true.  As best I could,  with the little mustard of faith that I could muster up and offer Him, I accepted His love in Jesus.  But it’s not about my faith as much as His sharing because He’s so caring.  It’s about Him.  He accepts the little I give Him, and He makes that something really big.  Thank you,  Lord!  My little light gets infused with His to make all the sunshine I’ll ever need for all my days here on earth… and beyond.  For you also.  Plenty of light to go around.

He gave His only Son.  Think about that.  Praise Him for caring and sharing.  May this Easter, as sweet as the candies can be, be ever sweeter with our loud praises to the One who gave His life for us!  Happy Easter!  He is Risen!  He is Risen indeed!  ‘Sharing is Caring’… indeed!

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, we praise you, our living Lord!  Alive forevermore!  And living for us!  We thank you and praise you and love you.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.