2016 March Newsletter
It's not about the bunny!
03/24/16 05:58:pmOh the smell of plastic green grass on Easter morning! For many families Easter brings many treasured traditions—from the boiling and coloring of many eggs (and their subsequent hunting) to the eating of chocolate bunnies and those delicious marshmallow Peeps. It is an exciting time of the year.
Winter has come to a close and spring is in the air. Easter gives us a great opportunity to celebrate the coming of the new life of spring. Easter can certainly be filled with many wonderful traditions of memorable family time. But let’s be honest, if the Easter Bunny, colored eggs, and spring time are all Easter is for you, then you are sadly missing the point.
Easter celebrates the greatest event in all of history; the resurrection of Jesus the Christ from the grave. Some may wonder why Jesus’ resurrection is so important and why so many Christians make such a big deal out of it. It is because Easter is not just another holiday. It is the pinnacle of all of human history and it changed everything. Jesus came to die on an old rugged cross to purchase your pardon from sin. His death on Friday took on God the Father’s wrath for the sin of the world. That means if we, feeling the burden of our sin, turn to Christ by faith in Him as Savior and Lord, we can be forgiven of our sins and become right with God. But, that is not the end of the story. On Sunday morning the lifeless body of Jesus became alive again and He rose from the grave. Why is that so significant? Because Christ didn’t just die for our sins as a perfect sinless sacrifice. He rose victorious over death itself! In Jesus’ death, we find forgiveness, but in the resurrection, we find the promise of eternal life. Jesus’ resurrection showed His power over sin and death and is our promise, not only of cleansing of sin, but of our everlasting life with Him in glory.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike the Easter Bunny or colored eggs. Easter is just not really about the bunny. It is sad when we celebrate some fun things, but forget the powerful story of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. These are life changing truths that can set you free from guilt and shame, gives you joy inexpressible, and brings hope for us in the darkest of days. I hope you don’t miss the point of Easter this year, and I hope you celebrate this Easter with great gratitude and joy for what Christ has done for you.
This Easter is also uniquely special in the life of our church this year. Easter Sunday will begin our Spring Revival with Bro. Rick Coram, who will be with us Easter morning and evening and each night through Wednesday. I am excited about what God is going to do in these special worship services. I pray that God refreshes and revives us this Easter!
"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures… " 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (ESV)