EASTER - JUST A BLIP ON THE CALENDAR?

Last Sunday at The Mission Pastor Paul mentioned how we don't prepare for Easter the same way we do for Christmas. I don't know that I'd considered that before, and he's inspired me to follow up a bit on that thought.

We spend weeks (for some people it's months) preparing for Christmas.  We decorate and plan special events. We have banquets and parades and concerts and plays and carol sings. Christmas is far more than a day. In the western world at least it's a month long celebration for just about everyone, Christian or not.

Easter, on the other hand, comes upon us without a whole lot of fanfare. If you're a Christian, you probably have a special Good Friday service to attend. If you have young children you may have a candy hunt. If you don't fall into either of those categories, Easter can go by almost totally unnoticed.

Thanks to Pastor Paul for pointing that out, but he's left me pondering the question, why? 

From a Christian point of view Christmas is very important to be sure. But Easter is HUGE! It's the culmination of the plan of salvation God had been putting in place since Adam. Easter is the death and resurrection of our Saviour. My eternal destiny, and yours, is tied to what happened at the time of Passover almost 2000 years ago. So why is Christmas such a massive celebration, while for most of our society Easter probably draws less attention than Valentine's Day or Halloween?

I don't pretend to know the answer, but as usual I do have an opinion. Maybe opinion is too strong. Let's call it an idea, or even a guess.

Everything about Christmas is warm and fuzzy. It's developed over the years into a time of sharing and family and good will. Whether you're a Christian or not the season is filled with special activities, and even for the "non-religious" the stories of a baby in a manger, angels, a shining star, and wise men are all happy and warm. The whole thing is positive. When you do hear complaints about Christmas, it's about the busyness and the shopping - trappings that aren't even part of the original Christmas. The message of Christmas is goodness and light and doesn't make any demands. Everyone can celebrate Christmas and feel good about it.

Easter on the other hand?  Now that's different. The message is powerful, but it's definitely lacking when it comes to warm and fuzzy. More than that, it confronts us with our sin and the need for us to do something about it. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most dramatic and important event in history, and it brings us face to face with our need of a Saviour. It says, "You have a choice to make."

Easter is fine for the masses as long as it's limited to a pink bunny and loads of chocolate. But the real message of Easter? Well, that's uncomfortable and something most people would rather not focus on any more than they have to. So while the "religious world" takes time out to remember the cross and the tomb, the rest of western society would rather ignore the truth of Easter and eat candy instead.

It's a tragedy that Easter goes by largely without notice, ignored by the people who most need to hear its life-changing message. It's a message of love and sacrifice and forgiveness. It's a message of challenge and a call to repentance. It's a celebration and remembrance of the most important events of all time. Let's do what we can to extend the message of Easter to a world that needs to know.