In a recent survey done by the NY Times, they discovered that only 42% of their respondents identified the meaning of Easter to be related to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  It shouldn’t be that hard for us to identify the other choices people made instead of this greatest of all events for Christians.  Easter bunnies; Easter eggs; the onset of spring; the Final Four of NCAA basketball; and the start of baseball could all elbow their way into helping us confuse Easter with the other “important” things in our lives this time of year.

Before you jump on this bandwagon to berate others for not observing Easter properly, I will tell you that I find myself guilty of certain other mindedness at this time of year as well.  For example, I find myself being upset when my usual parking space and seat at church is occupied by someone who I have never seen before!  And then, my patience is stretched even more when I can’t get out of the parking lot because the crowd is making me late to my restaurant reservation.  And speaking of restaurants, all kinds of people show up without a reservation at my favorite restaurant and now I am waiting there as well!  Maybe the meaning of Easter is to remind me that this event is an inconvenient truth that both believers and non-believers must deal with!

It is times like this that I am reminded that I might have been like the people waving palm branches on Palm Sunday, and urging my Savior’s death just a week later.  I might have been like the people who chased Zacchaeus, the tax collector, up the tree because he was a despised member of the community.  I might have been frightened by the crowd and hid in the darkness of night just like Peter so that when confronted by the authorities, I would have denied having anything to do with my Savior, Jesus.  Funny how easy it is for me to think that our society is guilty of ignoring the meaning of Easter when often times it is hard to see any difference in me than the 58% who have no clue what Easter is all about!

 Luke 9:26-27 (RSV) “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom God.”

Monday Morning Message Sent 4/5/10

Back to List of Archived Messages