After we were seated in the pews of Christ Community Assembly of God church, we sat there, along with the rest of the congregation, waiting for the service to start.

Since it was Easter weekend (actually, Easter eve, the day before Easter), the services were out of the norm; we didn't know what to expect.

White and pink Easter lilies lined the front of the stage; there was a huge cross behind the podium where the pastor spoke.  The church building was one of the biggest I've seen; yet it somehow seemed simple, not too fancy.

There were already quite a few people in attendance; it would only get more crowded, as more people, young and old, were streaming in at a steady pace.

At six o'clock sharp, a short, rotund man with red hair stepped up to the platform.  I guess he was the pastor, I remember thinking.  I was nervous; I didn't feel comfortable sitting in church.  Church was something I really didn't participate in; I felt I didn't need to go to church.

He began speaking.  He welcomed us to the production, and said it would probably be a life changing experience.  He hoped that the love of Christ would be felt by all who came, and he wished us a very happy Easter.  The production then started.

The Cantata was about the birth, life, and death (as well as the resurrection) of Jesus; in between that were vignettes of different life situations and  how Christ affected people even today.  Some of the people who died went to hell; others had a much better outcome:  they went to Heaven.  It was very powerful, not to mention, moving (or scary).

As I watched this thing, I kept getting a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach.  My heart was hammering; I remember feeling sweat trickling down my face.  I guess God was telling me that I needed to ask Him to forgive me of my sins; I don't know, but I was getting mighty uncomfortable.

I remember thinking I didn't want to go to Hell; I wanted to go to Heaven, to be with Jesus.  I decided right then and there I needed to ask Him to forgive me of my sins; I was a sinner; I couldn't save myself.  I wanted to have Jesus in my life; right now, I didn't have any hope.  That was something that was sorely lacking in my life.

After the Cantata ended, the pastor began speaking again.  He said whoever wanted to receive Christ as their saviour could come to the altar, where he'd then lead us in a special prayer.  I went up, as did my husband and children; we all went up as a family.

The children weren't crying; however, my husband and I were.  We felt like the lowest sinners in the world; we felt we didn't deserve Christ because we didn't read the Bible, go to church, or even pray unless it was out of desperation (or if we remembered to).  We felt like the weight of the world was pressing down upon our shoulders.

The pastor led us in a simple prayer; he spoke, and we repeated what he'd said.  All of a sudden, this incredible rush of air could be felt upon my face, and this weight that had been pinning me down was instantly lifted up.  I began crying in spite of myself; I knew that I was now a new Creature.  Jesus had come into my heart, just like that.  I had become born again.  I had asked Him into my life, and He came.

It was nothing short of incredible.  I looked at my husband; he, too, was bawling like a baby, and so was my oldest daughter.  My youngest one wasn't crying, but she had a huge smile plastered upon her freckled face, and her eyes danced with joy.  We had all come to the Lord; it took a play for us to do so.

We knew we couldn't go on living without Christ in our lives, so we had no other choice but to ask Him to forgive us of our sins and ask Him to come into our hearts.

The next day, when we saw Mother at the nursing home, she noticed the difference in us right away.  She said we looked much happier.  We explained to her what had happened, and she smiled.  She asked us if we could lead her into prayer; she wanted Jesus in her life, too.

It was a wonderful Easter Sunday.  Not only did we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ:  we had been "resurrected" of our sins, too; it was as if we had been reborn, which we were.  Because of our decision to have Jesus in our lives, we would not have to worry about Hell; we would be going to Heaven, to reside with God, Jesus, and all of the angels forever.

It was as if we had been washed clean of all past mistakes.  And in His infinite wisdom, grace, and mercy, Christ took it upon Himself to die with our sins, even though He was blameless; He loved us that much.  Now we had hope, a hope that had been denied all these years, only because until now, we had refused to believe.

Christ died for us so we could be saved from sin.  Now if that isn't the act of true love, then I don't know what is.