It’s not uncommon for the women in the Redeeming Life Maternity Home to share that their fondest childhood memories of Easter included Easter baskets filled with colored eggs, chocolate bunnies, and multi-colored jellybeans. Some can share memories of visiting their neighborhood churches, dressed in fresh Spring outfits and the treasured Easter bonnet. Yet if they were asked if they really understood the importance and the impact of the death and resurrection of Jesus, most would sheepishly answer, “No.”
Based on this premise of understanding, we deliberately expose the residents to the truth about Jesus’ death and resurrection through the Holy Week Services held at The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer. As they attend the services beginning on Palm Sunday and moving throughout the week to Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Saturday Easter Vigil, and the ultimate culmination on Easter Sunday, they hear the beautiful Easter message through Scripture, word, and song of a God who loved the world so much that He sacrificed Himself to the punishment of death on the cross so that all would be redeemed from sin and the grave.
In addition to hearing the truth in the services, the maternity home staff share with residents how the death and resurrection of Jesus personally affects their lives. We get the privilege of sharing our personal story of how the Gospel of Christ opened a new and living way for us to be reunited with our Heavenly Father. We share that it is only through the acceptance of the sacrifice of Jesus’ death on the cross that the penalty we deserve for our sins is PAID IN FULL. Then through the belief and acknowledgement of His resurrection from the dead, that we too are raised in newness of life. In sharing our stories, we are free to inform each woman that God does not show favoritism (Romans 2:11). What He made available to us on that first Resurrection Easter Sunday, He also makes available to all people, including them. This is the blessed hope and the reason Christians all around the world celebrate the risen Christ on Easter Sunday.
As you enter this Holy Week, we pray that you will also have an opportunity to share your story with someone who may never have heard the true reason for your joy at Easter. We pray that you have a wonderful Holy Week and a blessed Resurrection Easter Sunday.
Redeeming Life is a Christ-centered maternity home that provides a stable environment for single women with unplanned pregnancies. Our structured program provides mentoring, counseling and life skills education to help them become independent and provide for their children as single mothers.