Happily Ever After is a short, engaging book about Easter. It’s so short that I read it three times this week! (My paperback copy has 64 pages.) The author, Jonty Allcock, a pastor in London, builds the book around the idea that we love happy endings.
He points one camera at the unhappy ending of Good Friday. Then he takes a second camera and focuses on the happy ending of Easter Sunday. Finally, he turns the camera on us and asks us to think about our own end.
This is an excellent choice if you’re looking for a book to remind you of the significance of Easter, or if you’re unsure why Easter really matters.
I’m not talking about what happened on Easter weekend – that Jesus died on the cross, and then was raised on the third day. I’m talking about the significance of it. What is the connection between a man dying on the cross some 2,000 years ago and our lives today? This is where the book excels!
Here are ten of my favorite quotes from the book:
10. On Endings
Endings have great power. A good one leaves you deeply satisfied and joyful. But a bad one can leave you frustrated and disappointed. (7)
9. On the End
Every tick of the clock, every setting of the sun, and every church bell that rings tells us the same story: the end is coming. (13)
8. On the Great Question of Life
The great question of life is not “Will it end?” (We know that it will.) But will it have a good ending or a bad one, a sad ending or a happy ending? (15)
7. On Bad Endings
The guilty man went free, and the innocent man was handed over to death. This is the sort of ending that we hate. (23)
6. On Death
Death is like a large stone that rolls into place and cannot be moved. But Jesus rolled death backwards. He reversed it. (32)
5. On Connection
If someone were to die in order to save you, it would leave you with a powerful connection to that person. (38)
4. On the World
Every funeral, every tear, every life cut short tells us the same message. There’s a serious problem. There’s something wrong. The world is dying. (46)
3. On Jesus’ Death
When Jesus died on the cross, he was taking our Friday Ending. He was dying for us. That’s the connection between him and us. (47)
2. On Death and Life
Because Jesus has smashed through death, then so can we. Because Jesus has life forever, then so can we. (57)
1. On Your Ending
The Friday Ending you deserve will be dealt with so that beyond Friday you can enjoy the Sunday Ending you were made for. (62)
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