What is Easter?

Just what is Easter? There are always lots of things going on, dressing up for Easter Sunday service in our new Easter outfits, big dinners with relatives or at church, even Easter egg hunts for all 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 anyway?

1. THE FIRST MENTION OF EASTER

Easter is only mentioned only once in the Bible, and this is in connection with the Spring Festival of the pagan or non-Christian world long before the time of our Jesus Christ. It had nothing to do with Him or His resurrection. It was to celebrate Spring, the coming of new life after the long winter.

2. THE EVENTS CONNECTED TO EASTER

Every year in April, and very near to the same time as the Spring Festival, the Jews celebrated the Passover. This was a celebration of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage. It was also at this same time of year 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 the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. It would always be the first Sunday after the first full moon after equinox, or March 21. This can be as early as March 22 or as late as April 25.

3. THE CHRISTIAN MEANING OF EASTER

As Christians, and by that, I mean those who know Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we should not concern ourselves with celebrating the day of Easter. We celebrate an event 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 us use Easter today as an advertisement and opportunity to tell the world what Easter means to us.

Jesus Christ came into the world to die as a sacrifice on the cross for our sins, and He did just that. He was killed by crucifixion, 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 to earth. But, it was through His death that His mission was accomplished, and three days after He was buried, He arose from the dead. That is what Easter is all about! God providing salvation through His son, Jesus Christ in order that mankind might be saved.

Acts 12:4 "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given amoung men, whereby we must be saved."

- Pastor David Carroll, Senior Pastor, Sharon Baptist Church