Easter is that time of year when we as Christians celebrate the completion of God's plan of redemption to save all people from the sin that has been passed down since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Sin entered the world when God ordered not to eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but he disobeyed. (Genesis 2:16-17; Genesis 3:6). Since then, man has been subject to the consequences of that choice. The greatest consequence of that choice was a separation from God that can only be made complete by the person of Jesus Christ.
At Christmas, we celebrate the gift that entered the world to give us hope and possibility. Jesus came as the Savior of the world, a child born to a virgin, wrapped in cloth and placed in a manger. From the time of his birth till his death, he was sinless. He grew up and set an example for us in every election. As a result of those choices, He became the sacrifice that would make the way for us as humans to be saved and made perfect for our sins. Then he was punished for our sin; His punishment was death, death in the most inhuman way, death on the cross. He was then buried in a borrowed grave.
For those who followed Jesus, the day after his death should have been the longest three days. In the scriptures leading up to his crucifixion, Jesus warned his followers that this would happen on three separate occasions (Luke 9:21-27; Luke 9:43b-50; Luke 18:31- 34). On the morning of the third day after his crucifixion, two women went to prepare his body for burial. When they reached the tomb where Jesus was laid, they discovered a few things: the stone in front of the tomb had been rolled back, and the tomb was empty. They were still in disbelief after everything happened and asked the gardener where Jesus' body had been taken. His answer really changed the future of all mankind. "He is not here; He has risen as He said, Come and see the place where He was laid" (Luke 24:1-12).
As a result of Jesus' resurrection from the dead, we humans have hope; We have the promise of forgiveness for our sin. We too can be made perfect or perfect with God (John 3:16-17). We must accept God's gift of forgiveness by choosing to accept or agree with him that we are all sinners (Romans
3:23). By believing in faith, we acknowledge that Jesus lived without sin, died on the cross, was buried, and rose again (Romans 6:23). By faith, we choose to receive this gift of salvation that comes through a relationship with Christ (Romans 10:9-10). When we choose Jesus as Savior, we are accepting the promise of God's Word: eternal life (John 14:1-6).
We all must face the reality that we are not untouched by death; We are certain to face the end of this life. The reality is that we must choose before death where we will spend eternity. God loved, He gave, and He wants to have a personal relationship with you.
As a kid, our family loved the annual Easter egg hunt at my nanny and papa's house. One Easter, we caught Papa eating candy from eggs and dropping empty eggs on the ground so we could find them. As we discovered the eggs, my mom made the most of the moment and declared that empty eggs were "golden" eggs and deserved the best prize. "why?" you ask We asked the same question. "These eggs represent the true meaning of Easter," she said. I am praying for you as you read, search and discover the true meaning of Easter. Jesus loves you, and his greatest desire is for you to choose to have a relationship with him.