Easter came and went.
Oof. May we, as Christians, never have or be accused of having that attitude about the resurrection of our Lord. Unfortunately, many Christians treat Easter like a major event. The buildup is real. The hype around and during it is real. But the quick amnesia about it is real too.
Easter Sunday is BIG (and should be). The crowds are big. The worship is big. The amens, applause, and hallelujahs are big too. However, the crowds, worship, and response often shrink significantly by the next Sunday.
It spills over into home life too. The decorations, plastic eggs, and baskets are quickly shoved into a bin back in the basement (which may not be a bad thing). Family brunch or lunch was fun but thankfully not extended.
A return to normalcy isn’t always necessarily bad, but here’s where it gets dangerous for the Christian after Easter: When the resurrection of Jesus Christ becomes a forgettable truth, it jeopardizes the foundation of our faith. Paul describes this in 1 Corinthians 15…
14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope[a] in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. - 1 Corinthians 15:14-19
Without the resurrection, Paul says that our preaching and faith are in vain (v. 14), our faith is futile (v. 17), we are still in our sins (v. 17), and we are to be pitied (v. 19). Vain, futile, sin-stuck, and pitiful. Those are terrible words to describe anyone, but without the resurrection, Paul says those are accurate words to describe Christians.
The sad truth is those terrible words describe many people who celebrate the resurrection as a yearly event but not as a life-changing reality. Nobody at an Easter Sunday gathering would explicitly say this, but many people may implicitly say it with their lives the next day: “Yay! Jesus is alive! Now, let’s get back to normal life.” Again, oof. May we, as Christians, never have or be accused of having that attitude about the resurrection of our Lord.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ changes everything for the Christian. It should change people’s plans and affections for more than one Sunday each year. It’s FAR MORE important and potent for a lifetime, not just a once-a-year event! Here are a few of the implications of Jesus rising from the dead according to the scriptures. The resurrection changes your:
That’s not an exhaustive list, but it’s a list that screams that Easter should be far more than a forgettable event. The way of following Christ is a life of constant dying to self AND CONSTANT RISING to exalt God. It’s not a one-time thing.
Veritas, Resurrection Sunday is one of my favorite days of the year, but let’s be vigilant to guard against it becoming a quick afterthought. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is more than a cool event. It’s a transformative truth that alters our daily lives, so let’s be people who continue to celebrate Easter every day, not just every year.
-Michael