Easter is an awesome holiday. For those who follow Christ, it is a day of celebration. We greet each other Easter morning in church saying “He is risen.” The proper response is “He is risen indeed.” For others, it is a day to spend with family, to hunt for Easter eggs, and to eat good food. A Spring day to enjoy being alive. But, there is some confusion about Easter. What is it all about? Why do we celebrate? Where did the Easter bunny come from? Why do we color eggs? In this post, I will describe why I celebrate Easter. I am not going to talk about the Easter bunny, colored eggs, or peeps for that matter. Sorry.
For me, Easter is not complicated
As a follower of Christ, it is the day I celebrate his resurrection, his victory over death. The whole idea that God would become one of us, to walk among us, and provide a way back to him is amazing. The Bible tells me that Jesus was dead and buried in a grave. On Easter morning when his followers went to check on him, he was no longer in the grave. The tomb was empty. He had risen. He is alive. When I reflect on this story three themes emerge that explain why I think Easter is the best day of the year for all of us.
1. Christ’s resurrection is surprising.
Jesus spoke many times to his followers and others about his death. He described the details of his own demise. He foretold an agonizing death on the cross. Jesus also claimed that he would rise again. I am convinced none of them actually believed what he was saying. They were probably shocked when his death on the cross became true. But, I doubt that any of them believed they would ever see Jesus alive again after he dies on the cross. I know that I would not have. No one had ever risen from the dead. Imagine the surprise, the joy, the ecstasy his followers experienced on Easter morning. It was true. He was alive. I hope you experience some of that today. It is God’s great surprise to you. Enjoy it.
2. Christ’s resurrection is unique.
All of our major religions celebrate holidays. Some of them are similar, and some historians make the claim that our religions are all alike, and point towards the same God. But, I do not agree. I offer Easter as an example. I don’t know of any other religion that celebrates something similar. Why? Because no other major religions founder rose from the grave. None of them claimed the power to conquer death and then proved it. Sure – plenty of crazy people have claimed to be God. But, they all pass away. None of them rise again. Only Jesus makes the claim to be God and then proves it by rising from the dead to live again. The resurrection is unique. It is the main reason I choose to follow Christ.
3. Christ’s resurrection opens the door to heaven for us.
We all wonder what happens after we die. It is perfectly natural to spend time thinking about your own death. I know that I have. Where will I go? What will it be like? Will my loved ones be there with me? For much of my early life, I did not follow Jesus. I thought that this life is all that we have. It was depressing to believe that we only get one shot at life, and all of it is spent here on earth. Don’t get me wrong. I love life and the world can be a wonderful place. But, let’s face it there are a lot of things wrong with the world, to include me. There has to be something better. There is – it is called heaven. Jesus described it. He said that if we follow Him then we too will rise from the dead and go there. I believe him and look forward to going there when I leave this world to be with him.
I hope everyone celebrates Easter. It is a great holiday – like no other. Happy Easter. He is risen!
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words. Luke 24:1-8