We all celebrate Easter. You buy the candy eggs, the peep chicks, the chocolate bunnies. The Easter Bunny visits leaving our children baskets filled with toys and candy. That is how I grew up celebrating Easter and mostly how my kids also grew up.

When our children were little, my husband would put the Easter baskets on the front porch, ring the doorbell and then run around to the back of the house. I would leisurely make my way to the door while the kids were screaming and jumping. Just as I was opening the door, and the kids were seeing the baskets left on the porch, my husband would burst in and announce, “I just saw this huge rabbit running through the field.” The kids would run to the backdoor trying to catch a glimpse of the Easter Bunny. “Next year, we are going to catch him”, they would say! Such fun and precious memories; but I do regret that I didn’t put a greater focus on the true meaning of Easter, and why we celebrate it to begin with.

Jesus Christ was crucified by the Romans on a Friday. He was taken down from the cross and his body was placed in a new tomb, where no one had been laid before. The Jewish sabbath (Saturday) was about to begin so his body was wrapped and placed in the tomb. Sunday morning, the women came to the tomb with spices to prepare Jesus’s body. But…they couldn’t find him! Mary Magdalene saw the stone in front of his tomb had been rolled away and his body was no longer in the tomb. She ran and found Peter, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him.” (John 20:2) Even after spending so much time with Christ, their human hearts and minds couldn’t comprehend what had really happened! Christ had risen from the dead!

Easter is a celebration. The heart of the matter is that Jesus was nailed to a cross to die a horrible and painful death on our behalf. But why? Why did Jesus need to die? Our sin…everyone of us, is born corrupt. We are born sinful. God is righteous. He is not able to tolerate our sin. Yet, he loves us, and he wants a relationship with us. Our sin had to be redeemed and Jesus placed himself as the sacrifice. His blood paid the price that was required.

Easter is about redemption and overcoming death!  2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Today, as we celebrate Easter, many of us will refrain from meeting with our friends and family. Worship will be remotely, and we will not be able to gather together. Know this…Jesus has overcome! It is easy to become overwhelmed during this time. I myself have had a particularly emotional week and I really struggled with a feeling of hopelessness. But, when we look towards the tomb, we see that it is empty! Christ as Risen! He has risen indeed! Hold on to that hope and hold on to the knowledge that through him all things will work together in accordance with his will. -Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”