Easter is the most solemn period of the year for Christians, globally, as we celebrate Christ's death, burial and resurrection.
It's sometimes easy to forget Christ's purpose for coming to earth, with the commercialization that surrounds Easter - in the form of Easter Bunnies in some Western cultures and bun and cheese in Jamaica.
So let's remind ourselves of this....
Christ's purpose was to:
1) Show us how to live successful Christian lives
2) Die, so that we could have eternal life.
He was that ultimate sacrifice for sin, so that we could be reconnected with God.
So we sometimes hear people cutting back on things like meat for Lent and Easter..i.e. they sacrifice their usual eating and other habits, so that at this time of year, they can better reflect and somehow feel more "connected" to God through these sacrifices.
But Christ's life was one of continued sacrifice.
He's the King of Glory and could have come in regal splendor, yet chose to come to earth as a poor babe and live as a poor man, to show us that there is so much more to life than wealth.
Even when he should have been resting...he preached.
Now, this is not to say that we should be unwise in our actions as Christians, but realize that the Christian's life is also one of sacrifice.
Showing Christ's love through our thoughts, speech and actions.
Being charitable and loving... giving of ourselves, our time and our resources, whilst not expecting anything in return, but to honor God through the process.
Christ's life demonstrated continuous love...even to His enemies (e.g. most of the chief priests and rulers of the day and other Jews who wanted to see Him dead).... people who'd eventually kill Him.
Even as they did, He asked His Father to forgive them as they didn't know/understand what they were doing.
Had they known that He is Christ, God' gift to us...would that have stopped them?
Maybe, maybe not..but His dying so brutally, was all in God's plan for our salvation.
(Man became spiritually separated from God when he first sinned. Jesus Christ is that bridge that reconnected us to God..a God who does not tolerate sin).
But to live loving lives, means coming out of our natural selves (the natural way we'd respond to things) and allowing God to act in and through our lives.
Not easily done if you don't have God's Holy Spirit living and breathing inside of you and are fully committed to Christ as a Christian.
Easter for the Christian can't be a once-a-year event...
Our Christianity cannot be on for three (3) days of the year and off for the other 362 days of the year...
We must recognize Christ, His will for our lives and live as Christians for 365 days of each year.
After all, when Christ was on earth... He didn't stop being Christ for a few days and then continue being Christ, a few days afterwards.
His entire life reflected what He preached.
May this Easter be one that reminds us that consistency as Christians, is a much more important witness of who Christ is, than being solemn for a few days out of the year.
The world doesn't watch our talk, they watch our walk. :)
Gillian
