Easter’s over. (Can you even look at another chocolate egg?) In the life of the Christ-follower, we have weeks of build-up that lead to the last days of the life of the Lord Jesus. It all seemed to happen so quickly this year, because Easter was closer to Christmas than any of us could possibly remember. We’ve celebrated the Nativity, the Passion, the Resurrection. Now it’s over.
Or is it?
One of the things I’ve always appreciated about the tradition of Christianity in which I fall is that every Sunday, no matter what time of year, is a celebration of the Resurrection. Every Sunday is Easter Sunday. True, we don’t sing “Christ the Lord is risen today” every week, but we could – each Lord’s Day is an opportunity to shout our Hallelujahs to God for the victory he has won for us in raising Jesus from the dead. It’s our only hope, after all. We do well to celebrate it as often as we can. Heck, I celebrate the Resurrection every morning when I’m able, by God’s grace, to get out of bed. Every morning when I wake up is as much a celebration of the Resurrection as the New Morning when I will wake up in heaven with God.
I guess this is why I can do little more than shake my head when I hear of church leaders who dismiss the Resurrection of Jesus as mythical hogwash. This is nothing new, of course – every once in a while, someone will write another book that will garner attention from the newspapers and naysayers, but it’s just repackaged “enlightenment” philosophy, filled with cockamamie notions like, “Human potential is all we need.”
If you have an inkling toward believing that, let me offer you this word from Scripture: “…if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world” (1 Corinthians 15.19, NLT). I’m not following a Jesus Who Was Just A Guy. I’m not following a Christ Of Faith. I’m following the God who is made known to humanity in Jesus the Messiah, who was the final perfect sacrifice for the sins of everyone. And I follow him in the power of the Holy Spirit. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, we’re just going through the motions on Sunday, and we can stay home and watch Coronation Street, or something. No, my Sunday celebrations are truly celebrations of Jesus the Resurrected Lord. He’s my only hope. He’s your only hope. So Easter Day might not come around for another calendar year, but we can celebrate Easter every Sunday, even every day, in our own lives.
God’s best as you celebrate!
Passionately His,
Jeff
Passionately His 