Throughout one weekend of every year, we celebrate a holiday that brings hope to all the Earth: arguably more so than any other holiday out there. These few days are dedicated to the greatest sacrifice that man has ever seen. God's only human son, both God and man in one, was crucified on a cross, accused by the very people he had loved during his time on Earth. After being buried in a tomb for three days, he rose from the dead, resurrected by the power of God. Having lived a sinless life, Christ was the most perfect sacrifice for human sin. Therefore, following Christ's death and resurrection, we as humans have the opportunity to join God in Heaven by believing that this is all the truth - that God sent Christ, that he died for our sins, and that he rose again. It's not a question that Christ's death and resurrection deserves a holiday - but wouldn't you agree that it deserves even more than that?
That God would allow his only son to die so that we sinners on Earth could have eternal life exemplifies love far greater than we deserve. We will never be able to thank God enough, no matter what we say or do, in order to deserve the grace that He has shown to us. Therefore, God deserves the utmost thankfulness throughout our entire lives, and even more than that. Then it is rightfully so that Easter weekend be dedicated to Jesus' death along with the celebration of his resurrection on Easter Sunday. Something so significant deserves a holiday -- a celebration above all other celebrations, but not just one holiday. The celebration should be every single day. Easter is a day entirely devoted to something that Christians should acknowledge in every moment of their daily lives. Without Christ's death and resurrection, we would not have the hope that we do now. Repentance is as simple as asking God's forgiveness, as long as you believe that Jesus, as God's son, did indeed die for our sins. So why should we confine the celebration of such a momentous act to one single day?
The fact is, we are called by God to live our daily lives as Christ lived His. Know that we will never be without sin by our own right. However, constantly striving to live without sin is what God rightfully expects of us. In living as God calls us to, we are doing all that we can to thank God for His great sacrifice. We should be conscious of this every day so that we may be motivated in all we do - that it is for God's glory in order that we may praise the One who has defeated death.
"Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life and your members to God as instruments for righteousness." - Romans 6:13 (ESV)
You see, Easter is a day that we may spend entirely devoted to the remembrance of God's sacrifice. It is, indeed, a wonderful holiday. Yet our lives should be examples of our gratitude for the crucifixion and God's power over death. In Christian culture, we use Easter as a time to thank God for the ultimate sacrifice, as if a sufficient presentation of our gratitude. Truly, it is just an opportunity that we may come together as a body to celebrate what we should be celebrating individually, every day of our lives.
Let Easter become the day that the rest of the world may see our gratitude for Christ's sacrifice, that they may know what it means to have true hope in eternity. God bless and Happy Easter.
