Looking Forward to Easter
I’m going to break the illusion for a moment that The Forerunner is some “hot off the press” news source with breaking stories for our church by admitting that I am writing this article in the middle of February. It’s cold. It’s wet outside. Maybe those things are still true when you’re reading this; maybe they’re not. But here’s what I do know: We are getting closer and closer to Easter, and I could not be more excited.
As usual, I’m excited for Easter Sunday for two primary reasons. First, Easter serves as an annual reminder of the most significant event in human history. Without exaggeration, the fact that Jesus walked out of the tomb after offering his life as a sacrifice for our sins is the only reason we can have hope and life today. No other event in the history of the world comes close to matching the impact of the resurrection. As Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15, Jesus’s resurrection gives a foretaste of what’s to come for those who place their faith in Jesus. The fact that Jesus is alive provides assurance for those of us who die while clinging to our hope in Christ that we will join him in resurrected life one day.
We celebrate the resurrection every Sunday. We talk about it. We sing about it. We pray in reference to it. The resurrection is the central event of the gospel—so, yeah, it’s going to come up a lot at our church. But we set aside a special time each year to really focus on it—and it’s my favorite thing we do.
The second reason I’m excited for Easter is the opportunity it presents us in connecting people outside the church with the power of the gospel. Easter is one of two events each year—the other being Christmas Eve—where non-Christians will routinely join us for our gathering, often for the sake of tradition or curiosity. While inviting an unchurched friend or family member to join us on a Sunday morning isn’t very hard, Easter presents an even easier opportunity than normal. And if we will all be ready for an influx of unchurched people in our building on Easter Sunday, then we can expect the Holy Spirit to use us to help unchurched people come to know Christ and become part of our local church.
I’m excited for Easter. I hope you are, too.
In Christ,
Pastor Britton