For many people, Easter is just another Sunday. A day for coffee in bed, wrangling children, and for some heading to church. It is an ordinary day that may have some extra color, bright attire, brunch, and an egg hunt, but nothing of eternal value. It is not a day that people really stop and plan their whole month around. It is nothing like the Christmas season. This has always caused me some confusion and discomfort. Why does Christmas get a whole season, and Easter gets a day with a half day on the Friday before? This is not to say we should lessen the Christmas celebration. Christmas is a day worth the extravagance for it celebrates the birth of our perfect savior. But should we not also revere the RISEN king. Easter celebrates the impossible. The Resurrection defied all odds outside of divinity. It is the day that the peaceful, kind Jesus proved once and for all that He was who He said He was. He is Lord.
As I reflect this Holy Week and plan out my Easter Sunday, I feel compelled to urge fellow believers to give Easter the excitement it deserves. When you go to bed the night before, read the story of the crucifixion. Sit in the angst that the event of Christ’s death brings. Thank Him for what He did. Pause in the grief even though you know what Sunday brings. Let the gravity of His sacrifice take up space in your home, so that when you arise the next morning you feel nothing but overflowing gratitude and joy. Then on Easter Sunday rejoice and celebrate the story of the Resurrection. Imagine the fear, confusion, and shock the women felt at the empty tomb. Think about the immediate switch from horror to delight when they saw the angel and then met Jesus in the garden. Reflect on what His Resurrection truly means. He is not a God who stays dead. He is not a God who abandons us. He is not a God who prioritizes people due to status, location, race, or gender. He sees all people as His creation for whom He died and rose. Every single person is loved and redeemed if they choose to accept it.
So, if you open an Easter basket or have some special tradition let the fun and joy fill your home just as it does on Christmas. Remind your family and friends of the purpose of the festivities. These celebrations are meant to reflect the greatest gift we have ever received. We get to have candy, treats, and fun because Jesus is alive. Easter is the day when the full picture of the Gospel is finally seen. Let’s make the holiday a great one and rejoice from morning until night. Remember, had Easter not happened nothing Jesus did would have mattered. He would have been all talk. But He did die. He did rise. He is alive and with us today. Easter is the day each year we should go all out in our prayer, thanksgiving, rejoicing, and sharing. Be generous with your praise and receive unending joy that can come only because of what happened on Resurrection Sunday.
Written By: Elizabeth Keith