Beacon Touchpaper #9: "Easter: How do you eat yours?"

"...because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved..." (Rom 10.9, ESV)

Easter in our country has traditionally become the time of year to celebrate:

(1) chocolate, (2) the multiplication abilities of cute rabbits, (3) "How do you eat yours?" Creme Egg adverts, and (4) the colour yellow. Regular polls in the national press have pointed out worrying numbers of children AND parents who struggle to recall exactly why we have a public holiday at this time each year. Maybe we shouldn't be surprised...

But also, perhaps, we should take the opportunity to recall what we believe too. Why do we as God's people celebrate Easter? And how seriously do we apply that?

Believing in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead is more than just accepting a fact. It is far more than "merely" looking at evidence, weighing up the pros and cons, and acknowledging a historical moment. Believing that God raised Him from the dead is having an absolute confidence in God's providence, His power, His love, His mercy, His grace, His justice... It's believing that God is completely for us. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit all agreed long before time began to see this rescue plan through to completion, and have been and always will be committed to their choice to adopt you and me. That commitment is sealed in Christ's death and resurrection.

Without the core truth of Jesus's death and resurrection, applied to our everyday lives and our relationship with Jesus Himself, even the Christian Easter can be as hollow as a chocolate egg...

Easter: How do you eat yours?