What does Easter mean to you? Is a time of fun and joy for the kids as the Easter Bunny stops in the home and leaves goodies in their basket or on the floor and furniture? Is it about new clothes, a time to impress our peers with a new dress or suit?
What does Easter really mean to you? How many of us stop and think of what Christ went through to save us from our sins? Easter has become one of the holidays where our church pews fill up with people who don’t come through the year. It seems that many people believe Christmas and Easter are the only times that really matter when attending our churches. Why is this?
Maybe we are at a time when social media has given us the excuses of staying away from churches and catching a sermon or devotional on our iphone, ipad, radio, or television. Maybe it is a time where we can read devotionals in a newspaper, such as this one, and feel we have done our duty of reading about, listening to, or seeing why Christ died for us.
Is this a time when many of our friends and neighbors show up for church because they really do believe that Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins, but they are not willing to live for Him during their daily lives? I firmly believe that everyone has the opportunity of knowing about Jesus but are not willing to accept him. They believe He is a fantasy or a myth, but are willing to help celebrate this religious holiday.
In Old Testament times we are told in the Bible, the world’s number one selling book, that the priest would sacrifice unblemished animals to the Lord as a sin offering. The blood would purify, forgive, and make amends for their sins and the sins of the people. When Jesus came, He became the sacrificial Lamb for everyone. He died for us to save us from our sins and give us eternal life.
Jesus died a very cruel death on a cross that was meant for each of us. He took our place and the sin of the world was upon Him. He died, was buried and on the third day rose from the grave defeating death itself.
This is the real meaning of Easter. Again, I believe that almost everyone knows the real meaning of Easter but chooses to celebrate it in a non-spiritual way. In my opinion there is nothing wrong in having fun, dressing up, and leaving goodies for the children; however, we must always remember to explain to our family, friends, and especially our children, about the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus.
It is good to see more people attending the church of their choice on Easter Sunday and it is my hope and desire that they would come more often because it adds to the fellowship of the believers. We all need to know and remember what Jesus tells us in John 6:35; “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”
Even during these days of social media and all that is posted on and through it, only the words in the Holy Bible can be taken as the inerrant Word of God.
