On the evening of April 21, 2019; when it was time to finally kick back and relax which of the following went through your mind?
A. What a wonderful day! Getting to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ is always a blessing.
B. Boy, I am glad that is over with; I am already dreading having to go through it again next year.
C. Was today Easter?
The question I am getting at is this: What effect does Easter have on your life?
If you are thinking, “It’s just another day on the calendar.” In other words, answer C above; or if you are thinking, “It is a holiday, getting together with family, a good meal. You know, like a lot of other holidays, but with Easter stuff” (Answer B above). Then I would like you to consider some things.
Have you ever noticed that many holidays are about change?
New Year’s Day is changing from one year to the next. Often there is personal contemplation with at least the acknowledgment that some things in our life need to change. Yes, many New Year’s resolutions fall to the wayside by the first of February, but at least the attempt of change was there.
Valentine’s Day – Change on Valentine’s Day? Yes, think about it, the change may only be for a day, but there is change nonetheless. If February 14 was not Valentine’s Day if there were no Valentine’s Day, would those flowers be bought? Would that special meal be made or the fancy restaurant been paid a visit?
Would that date have taken place on a Tuesday night? We all know the answer. Again, albeit only for one day, but that holiday did bring a change of behavior.
Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Veteran’s Day all bring another day of change. Do not get me wrong, every day, every American should be thankful for the blood, sweat, and tears of the generations current and previous that protected us and gave their blood for our freedom. Often a young person, through talking with a veteran, or hearing about the experiences and the recognizing the results of the heroic efforts gain an appreciation for the sacrifices made and the nation in which they live that will stay with them the rest of their lives.
Easter, with many people, is either forgotten, set in some family or religious traditions, or so bogged down with so much activity the meaning of the day has escaped, and all anyone can anticipate is the day coming to an end.
Easter should bring change more than any other holiday. The day’s ramifications are eternal, and if the events of Easter is unworthy of changing a person’s life, then the last two thousand years of human history is worthless.
What if the resurrection is a fake? What if the body was stolen? What if Jesus’ body is out there somewhere, a skeleton amongst the dust? If Christianity is a hoax or a lie that got way, way, out of hand, then Jesus Christ is a liar, a fraud, and definitely not God.
But, what if the resurrection is real? Then Christ is exactly who He said He is – God. If the resurrection is real, then everything the Bible teaches about life, eternity, and the condition of humanity is the truth. If the events of the first Easter are factual, then should not Easter and the Bible make an impact on our lives? Should not the holiday Easter, be more than just another day on the calendar or a day filled with family and religious traditions?
Every one of us in the human race has done something wrong. Regardless of the level or the amount of wrong we have done, we are all guilty of something. Because we are sinners, God needed a way for our sin debt to Him paid. God decided that innocent blood would be the payment for our sin debt.
When Christ was dying on the cross, He cried out, “It is finished!” God was telling the world the payment for sin was complete. The separation between God and man was no longer there; the blood had bridged the gap.
God acted on His power over sin, by sending His only begotten Son to the cross, then three days later, God proved His power over death, by Jesus walking away from the grave.
All hope in life and death is in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Should Easter not make a difference in who we are and how we live?
Let me add another answer to the Easter question above:
D. Easter has made a difference in my life.
