The Case for Easter

On April 16, 2017, I preached my first Easter sermon. Afterward, people came up to me, shook my hand, and thanked me for a lovely message. But the real Easter miracle that year was that people actually came back the next week!

People shook my hand and thanked me for the sermon...

I say that because I recently reviewed my notes from that sermon. The manuscript was nearly fourteen pages long at 11 pt. font. I probably preached for over an hour. It was ridiculous!

Thankfully, the grace the members at Emmanuel have faithfully shown to me is one of the great blessings of belonging to a New Testament church. They have taught me something about the patient ferment of God's work in a people.

Hopefully, this Easter, the sermon will be better! I can guarantee it will be shorter!

But there are some things that will be the same. I will still proclaim Jesus Christ as the perfect sinless subsititute for sinners, his death on the cross as THE THING that satisfied the wrath of the thrice holy God, and his resurrection as our only hope of salvation! The crucial things, the true things, the gospel things are still number one!

"Ost" was the direction in which the sun rose every morning. It's where we get our word, "East."

That is what Easter is all about. To be clear, I'm not speaking about a specific calendar date. I'm speaking about an event.

The word, "Easter" comes from the German word, "Ostern." "Ost" was the direction in which the sun rose every morning. It's where we get our word, "East." And, "Ostern" means "rising" or "resurrection."

So, whenever we celebrate "Easter," we are celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Which, it just so happens, we do 52 times a year! After the resurrection of Christ on the first day of the week, his disciples began to gather on that day for holy convocation, rather than on the sabbath.

The apostle Paul taught the churches to gather together on the first day of the week as a day to worhsip and serve the Lord together. To this day, whenever we gather together on the first day of the week, it is for this purpose: to worship the one who died for our sins, was buried and rose from the dead.

Christians worship the one who died for our sins, was buried and rose from the dead.

Easter is essential. You cannot be a Christian church if you do not celebrate Easter! And, I must be clear, I'm not speaking about bunnies and eggs (not that I'm against bunnies or eggs!). Rather, I am speaking about the gathering to worship the resurrected Lord.

For every believer, allow me to encourage you that we must not merely gather once a year to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. God calls us to gather on the first day of the week. It was the tradition of the apostles (see Acts 20:7) and the command of the apostle Paul (see 1 Corinthians 6:2).

Also, our gatherings are not less needful now! Hebrews 10:25 tells us that our ministry of corporate exhortation is needed more and more as the days go on!

So, this Easter, don't be distracted by the eggs, candy, and styles of the world. Fix your eyes on the Son of God who was slain for your redemption. Find the joy of entering into the presence of God as you worship the Lord with his people this Sunday and all to follow.