What does the Easter Story mean to you? Is it the chocolate? Is it the family meal? Is it giving thanks for our blessings? It really begins with an innocent man, falsely accused, abandoned by friends, mocked by his neighbors and executed because people were afraid
of him, not because he had done anything wrong. This is Jesus.
Though he died like many criminals of the time, the thing that made Jesus remarkable is that during his life he had said that he was going to lay his life down willingly, and that he had the power to take it back up again. He said that he would return in three days. He said that he and the Father were one, and that he was going ahead of us to prepare the way.
At the time, the people had no idea what these phrases meant. Indeed, even today it is hard to fully appreciate what Jesus is saying and doing.
So what is Easter, then? Well the entire human race had no way of ever fulfilling the Law of Moses or achieving the goodness God desired for us. God the Father had exhausted all attempts to show the world how much we were still loved. Finally, God thought, “surely if I send my Son, He will do what all the prophets and priests have been unable to do.” Jesus was fully God and fully human. In his humanity he was able to experience the depth of human emotions, live a perfect life before God, and earn a place for humanity beside God. In his divinity he carried the strength and authority to perform miracles, share about the Kingdom of Heaven, and to ultimately forgive our sins. In his death, Jesus is a sacrifice for us. He defeats death and carries us on his shoulders us into God’s presence though we do not deserve it. The point of Easter is that for those who have faith, this is redemption, forgiveness and the deepest love imaginable. For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son, that whoever believes in him might not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16).
To better experience the Joy of Easter, you are invited to attend Holy Week worship services where you can experience the journey of Christ in his final days. His triumphal entry into Jerusalem was on Palm Sunday. The last supper was on Maundy Thursday and his crucifixion was on Good Friday. These have hopefully made the Easter morning story all the more meaningful for you and your family.
HAPPY EASTER! CHRIST IS RISEN!