After completing the devotional “Christmas Matters: How the Birth of Jesus Makes a Difference Every Day,” coauthors and lifelong friends Anna Nash and Katy Shelton knew they weren’t finished writing. They quickly got to work on “Easter Matters: How the Resurrection of Jesus Changes You.”
Like their first book, the devotional was born out of the women’s personal journeys.
“As Katy and I really began to more deeply wrap our minds and hearts [around] the concept of the Resurrection, we saw the impact that it had on lives to change us individually, to better understand and improve our awareness of our identity in Christ,” Nash noted.
“Christmas Matters” ended with a reading from John 1 on Christmas Day. “Easter Matters” naturally flowed from the earlier book.
“That was kind of an automatic lead-in to the next holiday coming up — Easter. We moved ahead to write about the book of John and the Easter season,” Shelton said.
Nash explained that she and Shelton have a passion for people to be “inspired and encouraged” to engage with prayer and Scripture. The book includes journaling-style writing prompts and questions for further thought and discussion so readers can “personally apply each chapter” to their lives.
Royal inheritance
The devotional’s goal is to explore who a person is in relation to God. As they wrote, the coauthors learned a lot about this topic themselves. Shelton’s favorite chapters are based on John 15. She was in part inspired by her grandmother, who was interested in genealogy and desperately wanted to discover she was part of a royal family. When Shelton thought about her grandmother’s quest, she realized Christians are already in a royal family.
“Going back to [John 15:5], Jesus talked about a literal family tree where He said ‘I am the vine, you are the branches.’ … If we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, then we are a child of God, connected to that literal family tree, and we have a rich, royal inheritance. Forgiveness, hope and love are the riches we’ll receive.”
Nash’s favorite chapter is based on John 1. The chapter starts with “In the beginning was the Word,” and by its end, Jesus is choosing His disciples. This chapter highlights how Jesus related to Nathaniel, calling him by name. After Nathaniel asked how He knew him, Jesus replied He saw him under the tree. “We can relate to Nathaniel and feel touched by Jesus in very similar, personal ways. His call to us is warm and inviting, not just a shallow, ‘I saw you over there,’” Nash explained.
Personal reflections
Though the entire book is meaningful to each author in distinct ways, the coauthors have found that through the various seasons of life, different chapters stand out. Currently, Shelton’s most meaningful passage is John 17, when Jesus prayed the night before His crucifixion. She recognized the importance of this moment on many levels.
“In verse 20, He says, ‘I am praying, not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in Me through this message.’ That took me aback … Jesus prayed for us,” she recalled. “[He] prayed for us, not only His disciples. That whole chapter is Him just pouring His heart out to God for His disciples … [and] for us.”
John 10 is especially important to Nash at this time in her life, as it includes verses about knowing Jesus’ voice and how He came to provide His followers an abundant life.
“That abundant life is wrapped into the relationship of us knowing His voice and following Him. But His voice is kind; His voice is loving and tender and forgiving. Because of the kind of God He is, it causes me to want to hear His voice,” Nash said. “A lot of us as believers live under this banner of ‘I should read and listen and try to discern and follow — and do all the things and check the boxes,’ but instead it’s a warm, loving relationship as if He is saying, ‘Here I am,’ very gently.”
Suggested for use throughout Lent, the coauthors recommend starting with Chapter 1 on Ash Wednesday, with the last chapter falling on Easter.
In “Easter Matters,” part one of each devotional relates directly to a chapter in John. Part two includes a guide for application to everyday life. Though it’s written to take 40 days from start to finish, parts one and two can be combined.
Nash and Shelton are continuing the series with upcoming devotionals “Reflection Matters,” “Giving Thanks Matters,” and “Forever Matters.” To find out more about the authors, go to AnnaNash.net and KatyShelton.com. “Easter Matters” and “Christmas Matters” are available at Amazon.com and other online book retailers.
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