From March Madness to Easter Fever

From Maylou Holladay:

Dear reader of the Cup of Grace Blog. This privilege to submit a blog for the Easter weekend prompted me to ask my husband Brant to put into writing this amazing story:

From March Madness to Easter Fever

By Brant Holladay

Last month we called it “March Madness.”  Basketball, basketball, and more basketball.  What an unbelievable and, I might add, magnificent season of basketball.

Now we are in April and our minds turn to Easter.  I remember so well one Easter 27 years ago being in Ukraine on their Easter Sunday.  All Eastern Europe that day was celebrating their freedom after 70 years of Communist tyranny.  Pastor Cecil Holcombe (Fred’s father) and I found ourselves surrounded in the center of Red Square on Sunday morning where four or five hundred of the town’s population were every bit as excited as the March madness crowd.  

There were shouts of joy and great happiness.  Then suddenly and spontaneously out from the crowd we heard the words: “CHRIST IS RISEN.  CHIST IS RISEN INDEED” over and over again.  I shall never forget that Easter in Ukraine.

Twenty-seven years later I am back home in America with my wife Maylou.  My heart remains thrilled to remember the words “CHRIST IS RISEN.  CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED.” Do you know the joy of salvation and of sins forgiven?  The Bible says, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  Christ is risen indeed!