Here & There Column 3-30-10

Easter-The Resurrection Of Christ

For Christians throughout the world, Easter is the most important Christian holiday.
An important question is what does the meaning of Easter mean to you.
In speaking to a local Sullivan County pastor the other day he remarked that "the meaning of Easter is Jesus Christ's victory over death and that His resurrection symbolizes the eternal life that is granted to all who believe in him."
The meaning of Easter also symbolizes the complete verification of all that Jesus preached and taught during His three-year ministry and if He had not risen from the dead, if He had merely died and not been resurrected, He would have been considered just another teacher or Rabbi.
The resurrection is an important part of Easter and the Christian faith because it changed and gave final and irrefutable proof that He was really the Son of God and that He had conquered death once and for all.
Christians recognize this day as commemorating the culminating event of their faith.
Like so many other Christian holidays, Easter has become commercialized and mixed with non-christian traditions like the Easter Bunny, Easter parades and hunting for Easter eggs.
Saint Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:14, "If Christ had not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain."
Without Easter--without the Resurrection of Christ--there would be no Christian faith and so this Easter Sunday the meaning of Easter for Christians is that of honoring and recognizing Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead and His glorious promises of eternal life for all who believe in him.