Hoo boy....it's been a while!! Apologies to my many faithful readers..it's time for me to get back in the swing of things.
Last weekend marked perhaps the most important and monumental event in the entire Christian faith. In fact, without said event, Christianity as it's known would be completely discounted and probably wouldn't even exist. The event I speak of, of course, is none other than Easter, the day when Jesus Christ was gloriously resurrected from the tomb that He was condemned to just 3 days earlier. It is because of this event that Christians are able to confidently believe what is written in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." The entire Christian faith is based upon this single event; after Christ rose from the dead, He left it to his most trusted followers, the apostles, to carry on His teachings and spread the good news of God's love after His human body was gone from the Earth, and it is from these men that the Earthly church was born. With each passing year, I find myself reflecting more and more upon Easter, and as I grow older, Easter has begun to take an entirely new meaning to me in my life. I'd like to share how it is beginning to affect my life and my relationship with Christ.
Now, I'm really not sure if its this way for everybody, but when I was young, Easter meant two things for me: Waking up to a basket full of gifts on the kitchen table, and chocolate. In all honesty, the ladder still plays a very integral role in my Easter experience, but... I digress. It also meant going over to my aunt and uncle's house to see family, and more importantly, hunt for Easter eggs! This is a tradition that my family still does to this very day, but sadly, the glory days of hunting for Easter eggs are over, as there are no more younglings in my family. Of course, before we went to my Uncle's house, I would get dressed up in my Sunday best and trot off to Sunday school to learn about the true meaning of Easter. Maybe it was just the way I was raised, but listening to my Sunday school teacher when I was young, and consequently the various pastors in the years that followed, speak about Jesus' resurrection seemed almost as if I was being told a fable. I mean, don't get me wrong; I did believe down to my bones that what I was being taught was the truth and that it was indeed a real event that occurred, but truth be told, it wasn't until about 4 years ago that I began to sincerely acknowledge and ponder the significance of Christs' resurrection.
If there was ever a cause for celebration, it's Easter. However, it is also the events leading up to Easter that make this celebration even more profound and significant; this fact became very clear to me during this years' Easter season. This was the first year of my life that I attempted to live out the entire Easter experience. I fasted on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, made sacrifices during Lent and adhered to them as best as I could, refrained from eating meat on Fridays, and attended church weekly. Additionally, I attended services during Holy Week, which included Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and of course, Easter Sunday. My practicing of these ancient traditions made a huge difference in my Easter experience this year, and it ultimately brought me closer to Christ. I had never fully understood the purpose of doing all of these things during the Easter season, but their significance became more clear to me this year.
Why does the church mandate fasting on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday? Well, if you've ever fasted before, you know that about mid-way throughout the day, the growls from your stomach become an ever-present reminder that you are hungry. In essence, it is a very minor form of suffering and sacrifice, and as feeble as it may be in comparison, this is just one way to remind ourselves of the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and praying, as well as the brutal and horrendous death that He had to endure, all for our sake. In fact, Lent and everything that comes with it (penance, abstaining from meat on Fridays, etc.) is practiced in remembrance of Christ's sacrifice for us.
After this year's Easter season, I truly believe that the only way to fully understand this is to actually adhere to the Lenten practices set forth by the church. I am so glad I did that I partook in all of these customs; I feel closer to Christ than I ever have. One way to truly get to know somebody is through shared experiences; shared experiences make it easier people to identify with one another. To illustrate this, take, for example, two men who enter a bar and sit next to one another. They are complete strangers, but through some friendly small talk over some drinks, they come to discover they are both actively serving in the military and have just returned from a tour in Afghanistan. Naturally, the conversation takes off from there. Right off the bat, these two men can identify with one another, and even though this is first time they have met, it feels as though they've known each other longer. The same principle applies to the relationship between us and Christ. By practicing these disciplines throughout the Lent season, I feel that it becomes possible to experience a very, very small piece of what Christ endured 2000 years ago for the sake of our salvation, and by identifying with Christ through these actions, we can come to know Christ in a very unique way that will only strengthen our individual relationship with Him.
Another profound aspect of Easter that I have been reflecting upon this year more than ever is the way in which the character of God was revealed through Christ's time on the Earth. Not only that, Christ's death and resurrection provided mankind with a direct link to the Eternal Father who created this universe and all that is contained within it. This is a concept that it seems all followers of Christ, myself included, take for granted. Seriously; take a step back and think about what this means. Why would an all-holy, all-powerful God want anything to do with any of us imperfect, flawed humans that constantly fall short of His word? Three words: God is Love. This phrase, found in the latter half of 1 John 4:8, provides a perfectly adequate and meaningful explanation as to why the Father chose to send his Son as a means to have a relationship with us. God loves us, and even though none of us can ever achieve the holiness that He calls us to on our own, we are able to through Christ!
One last aspect of Easter that dawned on me this year was that of fearlessness. Because Christ died and rose again, there is no reason to be afraid. Of anything. Ever. Our fears run far and deep, but we can find courage, confidence, and peace through Christ. We need not fear even death; the moment Christ walked out of that tomb, He brought with Him the gift of eternal life to give freely to each of us. Yes, it is true that our earthly bodies do not last forever and will one day pass away. However, we will be given new, unblemished bodies when we reach Heaven and begin our everlasting life with the Father, so long as we believe Christ is who He says He is.
It is an undeserved privilege that God would give Christ for our benefit; therefore friends, I urge you: live and love accordingly. Live because there is nothing to fear, and love because Christ loves us.
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