Like a Blip?
In confirmation class we recently discussed this question: “Which holiday is more important: Christmas or Easter?” Obviously that’s a loaded question because without Jesus being born you can’t have him die and rise again. On the other hand, if Jesus doesn’t die and rise again Christmas doesn’t mean much. So we need both! But while they are both essential we do notice how in our culture they are treated very differently. One is an event for which we plan for weeks and months, often receive days off of work and school, we plan gatherings and get gifts. The other seems to come and go like a blip. Someone asked, “Are you sending out 100 Easter cards this year, getting tired of all those Easter specials on TV?” Probably not. Why is that? Here are a few ideas I read. Christmas falls at a time when people want a break….the darkest days of the year. Easter is in the spring. Christmas celebrates the birth of a baby. Who doesn’t like babies? (Bleary-eyed moms and dads – skip this one.) But talking about a man who was executed, who wants to do that? Well even if our culture doesn’t always “get” Easter, we do. In fact, we celebrate Easter all year long, with each Sunday being a “little Easter” (the day Jesus rose, that’s why we do it!). And don’t the great promises of forgiveness, peace, and eternal life come flooding to our minds like no other day when we see again that empty tomb? So contemplate the significance. Come to the cross. Go into the empty tomb. Keep it a daily trip, not just a blip.
Inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16
