Without Easter

Have you ever wondered what the world would be like without Easter?

For those who don’t know Christ, it might mean some of the following:

• The absence of hollow rabbits made of questionable chocolate.
• The vanishing of marshmallow Peeps^(r).
• One less family feast (with ham instead of turkey).
• A decline in Hallmark’s holiday sales figures.
• The end of community egg hunts for the children.
• Not seeing The Ten Commandments movie on TV (the only acceptable religious show, even though it does not deal with Christ’s resurrection).
• And for atheists, good riddance!

Yes, without Easter, our modern culture would lose some of its traditions, but nothing really earth-shaking. There would have to be some changes made, but eventually there would be a “Coming of Spring” holiday that would take Easter’s place, just as a celebration of Winter has supplanted much of Christmas. Then the chocolate bunnies and Peeps^(r)  would return and even the atheists would be happy.

But for Christians, a world without Easter – not just the celebration of it, but the reasons for it – would be devastating. Christians know that without Easter:

• Good Friday would not be so good.
• The mocking of Jesus by the priests, soldiers, and crowds would ring bitterly true. (Luke 23:3).
• The death of Jesus would be just another death, like all the false messiahs before (Acts 5:36-37) and after him (Matthew 24:24). His work would have ended with his death.
• The promises of God would be null and void. We could no longer trust his word, nor believe Jesus who promised he would rise on the third day (Matthew 27:63, Mark 9:31, Luke 18:33).
• We would have to strike our Creeds, which proclaim Jesus was raised “according to the Scriptures” (Nicene Creed) and “on the third day he rose again” (Apostles’ Creed).
• We would not have the Christian Church. At the most we would have a social club or philosophical society debating the sayings of Jesus.
• Sundays would no longer be miniature Easters.
• Christmas would lose it importance. Why celebrate the birth of another Jewish baby 2000 years ago?
• Eternal life would be a futile hope.
• We of all people would be most to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:19).
• The deaths of our loved ones would be disasters, and we would grieve as those without hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

It’s clear that to a believer, Easter is an essential part of our faith, however it is celebrated, with hymns or lilies or bunnies or Peeps^(r). It is the core of our faith, the motivation for our lives, and the hope of our future. It is irreplaceable and all-encompassing. In it we find peace and joy. It is life itself.

But there’s one more great truth to remember about Easter. It does not affect only Christians. Though much of the world denies its truth and tries to live in ignorance or denial of the greatest event in history, its truth will one day catch up with them. Because God’s promises were fulfilled at the empty tomb, so also will all his warnings be fulfilled at the end – of the world or of their lives. One day even those who denied or mocked Jesus will realize he is who he said he is: Lord of all. On that day, “every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). For many, that will be a terrible day of judgment and wrath. But for believers it will be a day of unspeakable joy.

A world without Easter? Never! That glorious event happened 2000 years ago and changed everything. Because it happened, “all the promises of God find their Yes in him [Christ]”  (2 Corinthians 1:20). That means promises of forgiveness, adoption by God, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and eternal life. No matter what the world believes, the truth of Easter can never be taken from us, for what God has promised, he will fulfill.

May you have a happy and joyous Easter celebration! Christ has risen; he has risen indeed!

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. Amen.

Read:  Matthew 28:1-10; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-18.