Before we dive into this post, here’s a quick reminder that I am in the midst of a tee fundraiser.
Pick up a shirt while they’re hot!!
Imagine today is a big day in your life. You’ve just graduated college, received a promotion, or got married. You’re going to throw a huge party to celebrate, so you call up all your friends and they are super excited about this achievement! They say they’ll definitely be at your party and they can’t wait to celebrate you with all their family and friends. Everyone gets dressed up in their Sunday best and prepares for a great time. But, you get to your party and no one is there… Everyone who said they’d come is absent…
You wait around in the empty space until you start to hear something from the next room over. Quietly, you peer around the corner and see everyone you invited celebrating without you. There’s delicious food, all the people you love, but no you.
“We’re here to celebrate you!” But I’m not there
“We are so excited for you!” Where’s my invite?
“You are the one we’re here for!” It doesn’t seem that way
The phenomenon of Christian celebrations becoming Western traditions has been going on for years. In fact, the minimization of holidays and other religious activities to simple traditions has permeated other religions as well. There are “cultural” Hebrews or Hindus. People who take parts of the religions that are familiar to them and cast away all the parts that have any say in their day-to-day lives. They throw a party for Jesus’ resurrection without inviting Jesus.
In many households, Easter is a time to get together with family, celebrate spring with symbols of new life (bunnies and eggs), and have a meal that nearly rivals the meal served during the gift-giving tradition on December 25th. For many, there is next to no mention of Jesus’s resurrection, no mention of His bloody death on the cross and no mention of the blissful salvation they may receive in Him. There may be a small prayer at the beginning of the Easter meal, and the family may even attend church (one of a handful of times a year), but… why? Why even attempt to throw Jesus into it at all?
Many who go to church on Easter say it’s simply “what you do”. But, if you don’t go to church outside of these holidays, what does church become? Is it just a gathering place for paying homage to the rich meaning these holidays once had? Is it an excuse to dress up and see family members, with the communion bread as an appetizer before the Easter meal? Is it just an automatic response taught by generations of slowly waning Christians?
Where is the emotion in Easter? I don’t say this to attack anyone, as I know I am guilty of this as well. I spent my entire Easter completely numb to the grave reality of Jesus’ death and the joyous relief of His resurrection. My highest concerns were seeing family members, making sure I had vegan chocolate in my Easter basket (from the fabled Easter bunny), and making my flight back to Philly. In fact, I’ve had to stop and force myself to acknowledge what this day is for. Easter is a reminder of Jesus’ death and resurrection that cleanses us of our sins! It is the marker for us to redirect our hearts to the truth of the gospel! We should be crying tears of joy and dancing in the streets because our Savior has given us this undeserving gift of life! Easter isn’t just a time to show off a floral dress and relish in the warming weather – it’s the celebration of the day Jesus did the undoable! HE IS RISEN. And His being risen means we, too, can raise our heads before our Almighty God and Loving Father with a smile and with the infinite peace that comes from His grace.
In fact, let’s reach beyond Easter, and daily celebrate this truth. His resurrection is worth noticing more than once a year. We have so much freedom in getting to worship Jesus openly and in any way we want to. We can dance in the streets like David. We can sing with abandon about His great glory. We can kneel before Him in quiet, awe-struck wonder. And we can take Easter back for our Savior.
Easter can be so much more.
I want to challenge you guys to live in the overwhelming truth that our Savior is alive. Run away, and fast, from the dead traditionalism of Western “Christian” values and into the arms of Jesus, who is waiting so patiently and gracefully to wrap His arms around His child. He is waiting for you to step next door, into the room on your invite, and celebrate this life with Him.
grace + peace
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