If you have nieces and nephews, then you might just understand how completely captivated I am with mine! My sisters do a fantastic job of completely distracting me at any given moment of the day by sending pictures, videos, or summaries of overheard conversations. Easter weekend did not disappoint! In the midst of the cuteness, my oldest nephew's wise words for the day, "This is the most fabulous Easter so far today." It's possible that he was talking about the gifts he received from the Easter bunny, and he cleverly left possibilities open for the day to get better, but I believe his words ring truer than he realizes.
I could take you on an internet journey of the origin of Easter and the hundreds of opinions about why and what we celebrate every year, and you'd probably find a story that validates your years of Easter memories, but I won't. I will, however, assume that most people reading this associate the Easter celebration with our celebration of Jesus' resurrection from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15 clearly teaches that without the resurrection all other teaching is in vain. It is the resurrection that we celebrate, because without it, we would not be raised to newness of life. Being dead to sin is one amazing part of the story, but if that were the end, it would be in vain. Jesus died, and I was crucified with Him (Gal. 2:20), but He didn't stay dead, and neither did I (Eph. 2:5-6). Because He lives, I live! Woo! That's some good stuff!
It's as good as the shivers I still get when a congregation of voices bursts into "...UP FROM THE GRAVE HE AROSE..." after the soft, mournful verses about Jesus' crucifixion. I secretly wish we would sing it more than once a year, because believers have reason to celebrate the resurrection every day. The more I understand what Jesus did for me and in me, the more I can relate to my nephew's words. "This is the most fabulous Easter so far today!" And it just keeps getting better!
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