Today is a wonderful day. Christians all over Albertville and across the world are gathering to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Some of our brothers and sisters have elaborate celebrations with different meaningful colors and symbols, scripture readings, and call and response segments in their worship gatherings. Other churches may have a more simple service with a message on the resurrection and a celebration of communion, similar to what we will do today.
But there is one thing we all have in common.
For the past two months, we have walked past displays of plastic eggs, Easter Bunnies, and fifty-seven different kinds of candy. Don’t get me wrong, I love my peanut butter eggs, and the smile on Cayden’s face when he’s picking up Easter eggs brings me joy. But sometimes the commercialization of Easter and other holidays, such as Christmas, replaces what these holidays are really all about.
Easter is an ancient Christian celebration of the resurrection of Jesus! This is more than a cute story or fun game; this is a day to remember a world-changing event that continues to inspire and transform people all these years later.
Unfortunately, this bad habit of commercializing these holidays has seeped into many aspects of our Christian life. Consumerism and materialism has become a gospel to so many Christians. We tend to treat churches like we do supermarkets or car dealerships by shopping around until we find something that checks all of our boxes instead of coming to worship to be transformed by the Spirit, which Paul compares to crucifixion and, of course, is rarely comfortable.
We are not consumers; we are worshippers. Today is a special day where Christians everywhere celebrate resurrection and eternal life. Treat this season as an opportunity for resurrection in your own life. While the fun and games are wonderful, don’t replace Jesus with the Easter Bunny! I love that guy, but he’s not our risen Lord.