Easter's Over... Now What?

Christ is Risen! 

Did you have a wonderful Easter weekend?  Whether you celebrated and worshiped with us here at KOK or elsewhere, my hope is that your day was fueled by the resurrection joy of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It’s hard not to get a little spiritually pumped up on Easter Sunday.  The extra Easter flowers are fragrant and add some full-bloom color to what was last an empty and dark Good Friday setting. The somber, monotonous hymns of Lent and Holy Week give way to the familiar refrains of “He is Risen Indeed.”  The uplifting Alleluias return with ferocious force, reminding us of the eternal victory that is ours in Jesus. Yes indeed, Easter is a big deal in the life of the Christian church.  Without this historic event and the promise it gives us, “we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19). We should absolutely and unashamedly make Easter Sunday the biggest and best date on the calendar!

But what do we do with Easter now that Easter Sunday is over? No more counting down the days of Lent. No more anticipating the empty tomb.  No more Easter brunch to look forward to. Gone are the jellybeans and chocolate bunnies.

What will you do with Easter when a particular area of sin looks attractive to you? When you feel alone, weak, or unable? What will you do with Easter when someone has betrayed you and thoughts of vengeance enter your head? What will you do with Easter when you’re struggling in your marriage; when it seems impossible to love one another as God has designed? What will you do with Easter when you’re facing another situation with a rebellious child; when you feel as if there’s no patience left? What will you do with Easter when you lay in bed tonight, unable to sleep, filled with worry, anxiety or despair?

What will you do with Easter now that Easter Sunday is over?

The sad truth is, now that Easter is over, most Christians will not think about the resurrection for another year. This is much like Christmas, which also only gets our attention once a year; however, it should never be this way. The truth of the resurrection of Christ is something that should impact the life of a believer every day!  The Apostle Paul explains it like this in Romans 6:4, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” The resurrection of Jesus made it possible for people to live a brand-new life by the power of the Holy Spirit. We could call this “newness of life” made available to us the “resurrection life.”

A life forever impacted by the events of our risen Savior on that first Easter morning (a resurrection life) is one where the reality and hope of Easter is never over. The hoopla of Easter make come to an end, but the Gospel-laden truth of it cannot be stopped. Indeed, the resurrection life will have some unique distinctions about it.  

It will be marked by love.  Love is the defining mark of a resurrected life. It was love that sent Jesus to the cross, and it was love that brought Him back to life again. God is love, and when His Spirit fills a person’s heart, love takes up residence. John states this very simply in I John 4:20, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar.”

It will be marked by joy. Joy is the primary emotion of God. It describes His perpetual emotional state. The resurrected life takes on this quality as a normal, everyday condition. Jesus told His followers in John 15:11 that they would be filled with His joy. “I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow.” We will certainly have days and times when we feel down or discouraged; however, as we continually seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to be led by him in all of our ways, joy will return.

It will be marked by service. Service to others is the expression of love. The greatest service that God provided to humans was the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is what we needed most. Jesus expressed it like this, “…the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 28:20) A resurrected life is focused on the needs of others because that is what the Spirit of God is focused on. The Apostle Paul explains the Holy Spirit’s desire in Philippians 2:4, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

There are many marks of a life impacted by the events of Easter. They are just three quick thoughts, but they will absolutely help hold the joyous victory of Easter front-and-center for us.  They ensure that Easter doesn’t end when the days of the week flip from one to the next. The resurrection should be on our minds all the time–everyday–because this one event in history is the event that made it possible for all people to experience life the way God intended.  The empty tomb of Easter comforts us and assures us.  Difficult and unpredictable realities of life in a fallen world are guaranteed, but we can “be steadfast and immovable” even when we don’t understand, because our Risen Savior rules over everything that would confuse us.  If the Resurrection guarantees eternity (and it does just that!), then we believe that our suffering “is not in vain.” Life will get discouraging at times, but we live with the confident hope of Jesus’ return and our eternal place in His kingdom in the room He has prepared for us (cf. John 14).
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“If we allow it, Easter can move us quickly from the affirmation, “He is risen,” to an assignment, “Go into your family, community and the world and do something about it.” By carrying out that assignment, Easter continues within the lives of each one for the rest of our life and beyond.”

h/t: to Paul Tripp and other online authors read during this past week. Thank you!