After Easter

Some may take issue with the title of this article because of the “Easter” connection to paganism. Most publicly recognized holidays have pagan roots or connections, Easter to the god of fertility and Christmas to the god of the weather. I chose to ignore names and focus on the festivities surrounding the holidays. Names given are important, but not as important as what is done. In my opinion, a church that conducts easter egg hunts is embracing the god of fertility far more than one that calls their Sunday service, Easter. So whether it is Easter Sunday or Resurrection Sunday, preaching Jesus Christ crucified, buried, and raised from the dead should be central to the activities surrounding this well recognized and celebrated weekend. 


Churches are packed like sporting events during Easter weekend because people who ordinarily do not go to church decide to attend. Plus, those who have friends and family visiting from out of town are more likely to invite them to tag along on Resurrection Sunday. This service is the best opportunity to share the good news of Jesus Christ crucified, buried, and resurrected. Churches need to ensure that Easter Sunday is not yet another missed opportunity. They need to emphasize the love of the good news message of Christ and the defeat of Satan, the enemy. The message should be clearer on this day than other days! This is not the Sunday to be introducing a series or keeping to the church’s agenda. This is the time to keep the main thing the main thing. God sent his one and only Son to die and be raised from the dead for all of humanity. The victory is won! 


Once the good news message of Christ is shared in the service, the church should give anyone who would like to make Jesus their Lord and Savior the opportunity to do so. They should also connect with visitors, on the day, in order to make a good first impression, and ask them if they would like more information. Easter or Resurrection Sunday should be the one day out of the year that removes confusion surrounding why the church exists. Visitors need to understand that Christ is the Head of the church and the reason for all the celebration. They should know that God loved us so much that He gave what He held most precious. A proper introduction to the faith will set people up for success. Belief in God, through Christ, the Messiah, is a very firm foundation. 


After Easter weekend, we can go out into the world with a renewed sense of what matters. We can go out from a place of rest and vitality. We can go back to the marketplace after the realignment provided by Resurrection Sunday with a clear understanding of what makes life worth living. We are saved through Christ and have the hope of being resurrected from the dead, just like He was. We can live our lives from His victory and not ours. We do not have to be held back by Satan because he is defeated. We do not have to make any blood sacrifices because God the Father made the ultimate sacrifice. Death has no hold on us because Jesus led the way, showing us that we have nothing to fear. The same Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead now lives in us. After Easter, we have to begin again. We have to give the Christian life our best attempt and reach those who need the hope that we possess in Christ. We have to love God with all our might, and love our neighbor as ourselves.


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