Faith | His Easter celebration has a new name - ‘Resurrection Day’

This year Easter is a different holiday for me.

I have always looked forward to the Easter egg hunts, the chocolate bunnies and family gatherings that included more chocolate. But one difference this year is that Easter egg hunts have become a weekly, if not a daily occurrence, and not the special event of past years.

Eggs are truly golden and the hunt to find them on store shelves—and for the best price—has become more of a chore and not something to excitedly look forward to.

The high price of eggs during this Easter season has been one more thing to help me focus more on the true meaning of Easter, and not all the trappings of the pagan holiday that it seems to have become.

Some scholars seem to accept that the origin of Easter was derived in the Middle Ages from a pagan god of fertility which might explain to some extent the focus on eggs and bunnies. I prefer calling Easter, Resurrection Day, in order to separate it from the merging of all the pagan influences.

For me, the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his brutal death on a cross is the most important event in human history. It gives us absolute hope of life beyond the grave. It’s amazing to me that Jesus, who is fully God and fully man, could humble himself because of his love for you and me, and submit to the humiliation of being publicly nailed to a cross to die.

In the beginning, God created man and woman and provided all that they needed—including moral rules to live by in accordance with God’s righteousness.

These moral rules are imprinted on the conscience of every human being. God also gave the first man and woman the freedom to serve him and obey his commands, or break away from his love and fellowship by independently pursuing their own selfish desires.

Unfortunately, they chose their own way and the consequences of that decision have impacted all of mankind from that moment down through the ages. Through that one act, sin was introduced into the world and God’s perfect justice demands a penalty for sin. The penalty for sin is permanent separation from God and suffering in Hell forever.

God is full of love and compassion, and only wants the best for us. In his loving kindness, he designed a plan to provide a solution for our sin problem and offers forgiveness for the penalty of our sins.

God’s provision involved sending his Son to earth to live among us, demonstrating the perfect attributes of God in human form. Jesus paid for all our sins as the perfect sacrifice on the cross.

Jesus not only suffered an unjust brutal physical death, but also God the Father separated himself from Jesus for the last three hours on the cross. Three days later his miraculous resurrection verified his power over death.

He is risen! Hallelujah!

This Resurrection Day I want you to enjoy the special family time, eat your favorite foods, and yes, enjoy the chocolate. More importantly, I encourage you to, also, look at this day differently; truly focus on the gift that God is offering to each person through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I pray that you will use the window of opportunity that God has given you and make a decision regarding your need of a Savior. You will find a new purpose in life and a new source of strength—and one day eternal happiness in his heavenly kingdom.

Salvation is a one time event—guaranteed forever—that happens when you put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. It is not obtained or kept by adding good works or religious rites. It is a free gift of God available to those who believe.

Happy Resurrection Day to you and your loved ones, and may you also now view this most special day as your new favorite holiday.