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As Resurrection Sunday approaches, commonly referred to as Easter, many are putting together their plans. From colorful Easter eggs, Easter baskets for little ones, to sunrise services followed by Easter Sunday programs, and Sunday dinners surrounded by family.
For some men, Easter involves dressing up in a colorful suit to match their wives’ beautiful dresses with a big hat to match. For others, Easter is all about the family pictures. Yet still for others Easter is just one of two or three days that they will step foot inside a church for the entire year.
All of these are great Easter activities full of fun, and great for making core memories with family and friends. Resurrection Sunday, however, is bigger than just a one-day celebration. It is a life-changing, transformative, historical event that happened over 2,000 years ago but still affects the present.
Right now, people all over the world are broken, sad, dealing with anxiety, fears, depression and grief. People have lost love for themselves and others and are searching for things in this world to fill the hole in their heart. We live in a world where people are easily offended by others; where instead of reaching out in empathy to find out where someone else is coming from, they instead retreat inward, isolating themselves and defending their position.
People are weary financially, emotionally, physically and even spiritually. Our pride and sins lead us down these paths of destruction in our lives.
For where pride and sin bring weeping in a dark night, Resurrection Sunday brings joy and hope in the morning light. We gather together at Sunrise on Resurrection Sunday to celebrate ‘The Light’ that while we were yet still sinners Christ died for us. For God who is love, and out of his love for this world, gave his son “so that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
Where the payment for pride and sin led to a life that bears the bad fruit that was mentioned above; Jesus on the cross paid the price for our pride and sin, giving us the opportunity to be free and walk in the fruit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Resurrection Sunday is summed up in the first words uttered by Jesus on the cross. After being ridiculed, being mocked, being physically beaten, Jesus who performed miracles and walked a perfect life according to the standard of God, was hung on a cross in an excruciating painful punishment falsely. His first words after being nailed to the cross and lifted up were “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
He asked the Father to forgive the very people who put him on that cross. Every time we choose pride and sin in disobedience to God, we put Jesus on that cross.
Resurrection Sunday brings hope and joy because God has given us the gift of His Son as He overcame death after the cross. He defeated pride and sin that leads to destruction and shows us a new way to walk.
The question is will we surrender and live the way of Jesus on this Resurrection Sunday? Come join us as the Ministerial Alliance celebrates the Risen Savior of the World on Sunday, April 20, at the Annual Ecumenical Easter (Resurrection Sunday) Sunrise Service, 6:45 a.m. at Beason’s Park.
Bring your own chair, as the we together praise through singing, prayer and scripture the hope of a new day in Christ on resurrection Sunday.
