He Is Risen

He is risen, indeed!


Happy Easter or Resurrection Sunday, however your tastes may be! I know faithful ones who prefer both. But it doesn't really matter what you call it, in my mind. What matters is that He died, He rose again, and is coming again. Without what we celebrate today all else would be for naught.

We dye eggs and leave an Easter basket on the dining room table after the kids have gone to sleep and they get all excited about their chocolate bunnies and jelly beans the next morning (Man-Cub, after all, still believes in the Easter Bunny), but we don't lose sight of what we're really celebrating.

One year, when I was walking far from God and did not really care to celebrate the Resurrection, I tried to have a "secular" Easter like I imagine most of the world does. It was awful. It made no sense. I thought to myself, "WHY does everyone do this? What is the point? The purpose? We dye eggs and give the kids candy and get dressed up for no reason?" I realized that year that the trappings and trinkets and treats traditionally associated with Easter (how's that for an alliteration?) don't steal the real meaning from the Resurrection, but instead have no meaning themselves without it.

I know, candy and toys in and of themselves mean nothing compared to the Resurrection. But to a child, they mean a lot. And telling a child they get gifts to enjoy as a reminder of the joyous gift of eternal life is a good thing. And something that stays with them.

So put on your Easter bonnet and your new dress and your white gloves if you have them (I would so wear them if I could) and get thee to your church. Remember, while the bells ring joyfully, the gift only one man in history has given, given for you. And remember, while seeking eggs in corners and hedges, how you have been sought for and paid for, so you may live eternally.