Nourishing hearts as faithfully as we nourish our tables.
Welcome to Soul Food Sunday — because feeding our bodies is not enough.
This Easter, I’ve been sitting with something I learned during a Lent devotional, and I haven’t been able to shake it.
In Psalm 22, David writes this prophetic psalm pointing to the suffering of Christ, it’s worth noting this was about a millennium before crucifixion was even practiced. In verse 6 he says, “But I am a worm and not a man…” The Hebrew word used there is tolaʿath, a word also associated with scarlet.
Now, there’s a teaching that’s been shared for years about a tiny crimson or “scarlet” worm, native to that region. Some of the details may lean more toward tradition than strict science, but the picture it paints is powerful.
It’s said that when this worm is ready to give birth, she attaches herself to a tree. There, she dies, creating a covering for her young. As they are born, they are stained crimson. And after a few days, what remains of the mother turns white and flakes away.
And whether every detail is exact or not, you can’t miss what it points to.
Jesus willingly went to the cross.
He was lifted up on a tree.
His blood was poured out, covering our sin.
He died so that we might live.
And three days later… He rose.
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…” — Isaiah 1:18a (NIV)
That is Easter.
Not just a holiday.
Not just a meal around the table.
Not just a tradition we repeat each spring.
It is the moment everything changed.
Because of Jesus, scarlet sins are made white.
Because of Jesus, the guilty are forgiven.
Because of Jesus, death does not win.
Friend, I am in awe of what He has done. Humbled by it.
And here’s the truth we all need, whether we’ve walked with Him for years or we’re just beginning to wonder…
Only one perfect man has ever walked this earth. Fully God and fully man, our pastor loves to remind us that Jesus was the only 200% person; 100% God and 100% man! Jesus knows your pain, your past, and your heart. And He loves you.
If you don’t personally know this Jesus, Easter is the perfect day to come to Him.
Not when life settles down.
Not when you feel ready.
Not when you clean up your act.
Now.
Because the tomb is empty, and the way has already been made.
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NLT)
And Jesus is not just a way, He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (emphasis added, from John 14:6)
And then I think about the man on the cross beside Him. Hurling insults until he realizes, this man on the middle cross doesn’t deserve this punishment.
A criminal. Guilty. Broken. At the very end of his life. He says, “Remember me…“
And Jesus said to him, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” – Luke 23:43 (NLT)
Can you imagine that moment?
After enduring one of the most brutal deaths ever devised, he then opens his eyes in heaven.
Standing before God.
No good works to point to.
No cleaned-up past.
No second chances.
No baptism.
Just this: He enters heaven and answers to God,
“The Man on the middle cross said I can come.”
And that was enough.
Beloved…it still is.
Believe.
I took what I said above from Alistair Begg’s short film, The Man on the Middle Cross. It’s simple, powerful, and it stays with you.
My prayer for you this Easter is this:
that it wouldn’t just be a beautiful day,
but a meaningful, life-changing one.
Because you are dearly loved.
And the tomb is still empty.
And if you already know this, share it with a friend who needs it.
Just a quick reminder that I read and respond to every email, and I’m truly thankful for every one of you who comes back week after week! Your support means the world to me. Thank you for taking the time to read and click through to a few recipes—I’m incredibly grateful!
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