Easter He Is Risen

I took the above photo in Sint Nicolaskerk in Amsterdam a few weeks ago while in the city on a service trip for another local church.

Yesterday, Christians all over the world celebrated the resurrection of the Messiah Jesus. At the very least, there were more people in churches yesterday than virtually any other day of the year. And yet, much like the prior two days it just doesn't seem that there was a whole lot of significance being placed on the event being celebrated. For many, Easter can feel like just another day for family dinners and an opportunity to wear some new clothes to church. In some churches, the big question is how good will the Easter performance be.

Don't get me wrong, Easter is a great time for family. I enjoyed being able to connect with quite a few families yesterday, and there's something special and sweet about seeing the generations come together--it just doesn't happen much any more in the States.

Also, I think that Easter worship gatherings should be extra special too, they should stand apart from any other gathering. If people aren't able to be in a church very often through the year, the celebration at Easter should be huge and beyond anything they could imagine.

When I think about the significance of the day, it kind of makes me wonder why we don't have the day end with fireworks or something like that. What if Easter was just this huge blowout party, and it just continued all day long? What if somehow we could in the middle of a day long celebration manage to keep Christ central to our conversations? What would that be like?

Easter feels like there should be a space for reflection as well. Somehow, in the middle of the celebration, there should be moments of quiet (maybe that's what Friday and Saturday are for?) for folks to consider the significance of the events of these three historic days.

Sometimes I kind of feel guilty because my mind can seem to wander from the significance of the day so quickly. I wonder if I'm alone in this feeling?

I don't know what it will look like, but I'm hoping next year's Easter weekend will be different for me. I have a distinct feeling that I will be compelled to say no to a lot in order to say yes to this kind of celebration and reflection.

Regardless of my scattered feelings, this day represents the single most important event in human history. Jesus of Nazareth was crucified and buried, and He rose again to declare his defeat of evil, sin, and death. His resurrection gives proof and validity to the words and actions that led to his crucifixion. He is the God-man, and His victory over sin enables us to have restored fellowship with God. As the Gospel of John states, "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life."

Everlasting life--now that's something to REALLY CELEBRATE!!!