Despite chocolate bunnies and jelly beans, Easter has not been commercialized to the same extent as Christmas. There is a price to pay for this. If it is difficult to maintain the 12 days of Christmas, it is near impossible to hold on to Easter for 50 days.

“Christ is risen!” we continue to declare during these weeks, but it seems to be something of an after thought. Christ is risen, but what difference does that make in my life 365 days a year? Paul wrote: “if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). For Paul, the resurrection of Jesus is absolutely central to the Christian message. Without it the Christian faith is pointless.

Obviously, if Christ didn’t rise from the dead, we won’t either, and all the hope for the future would be gone. But the resurrection of Jesus also has implications for this life. Three times Jesus talked about his death and resurrection. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then he was telling a lie. In that case, why should we believe anything he taught? Is Jesus was wrong about his own resurrection, was he also wrong about loving your neighbor and blessing those who persecute you? Why should we attempt to follow him if he isn’t leading us into full life now and after death?

But Christ is risen. We need to keep that reality in the front of our minds, not only for the 50 days of Easter, but every day of our lives.

Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-26 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne