What Easter is all about

Acts 12:14 says, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none under heaven given amoung men, whereby we must be saved."

Just what is Easter?  There are always lots of things going on during this holiday; dressing up for Easter Sunday service in our new Easter outfits, big dinners with family and friends, even Easter egg hunts for the children.  But just how much of all this, and anything else that may take place to celebrate Easter, really honors Christ?  Why do we have all this confusion about Easter?

Easter is only mentioned once in the Bible, and this is in connection with the Spring Festival of the pagan (non-Christian) world long before the time of Jesus Christ. This holiday had nothing to do with Jesus Christ or His resurrection!  It was to celebrate spring and the coming of new life after a long winter.
 
    Every year in April, and very near to the same time as the Spring Festival, the Jews celebrated Passover.  The Passover was a celebration of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage; which is also when Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose again.  In A.D. 325, the church council of Nicaea met and decided that Christians would hold Easter each year as a celebration of the resurrection of Christ.  It would always be the first Sunday after the first full moon after Equinox which is April 1 this year. This date can be as early as March 22 or as late as April 25.

    As Christians (those who know Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour and living Lord) we should not be celebrating the day of Easter.  Rather we celebrate Jesus Christ resurrection on Easter.  Jesus arose from the dead, proving Himself to be the Christ, the Son of God.  Yes, He arose just as He said He would, and He ascended into heaven where He has prepared a place for us to go and be with Him.  He will soon come again and take us to live with Him forever.  Let's use Easter as an opportunity to tell the world what Easter means to us!

    Jesus came into the world to die as a sacrifice on the cross for our sin, and He did just that. He was killed by crucifixion after being nailed to a cross.  They took his blood soaked body down from the cross and buried Him in a tomb cut out in a rock cliff.  They rolled a large stone over the entrance and set a Roman guard there to make sure that no one stole His body away.  Everyone thought that He had failed in His mission on earth.  But, it was through his death that his mission was accomplished, and three days later, after He was buried, He arose from the dead just like he said He would. Hallelujah!

Let's be busy this time of year proclaiming the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ and inviting the lost and unchurched to services on April 1 at 11:00 A.M.

- Pastor David Carroll, Senior Pastor Sharon Baptist Church

P.S. The entire church has been invited to the sunrise service at Zion Baptist Church in Hampton, at 6:00 AM. Pastor Carroll will be the guest speaker for that service. The church I located at 125 West County Street in Hampton. 

Directions:
East on Mercury towards Phoebus
Turn right on Woodland towards HU
Turn left on West Country 
Church is on your right

Feel free to post this on fb and twitter to get the word out!