Easter is all about celebrating new life. Even the secular observance is all about the beginning of new life.
There is the Easter grass that’s usually green and chicks that come from the eggs. On the spiritual side, there is the celebration of the resurrected Christ which rose from the dead back to life after being crucified. We celebrate this event because what Christ did paves the way for us to be raised from a life controlled by sin into a new life controlled by God’s spirit.
In Ephesians 2:1, the Apostle Paul describes how the old life is so different from this new life. Speaking to the Ephesian Christians, he says, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world.” He goes on to say that they were “gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.” He told them that they also were objects of God’s wrath.
He paints a picture of hopelessness and of a people who were lost and under the judgment of God. But things changed in both character and their future destination. Instead of being under God’s wrath, they came under his mercy and grace that was motivated by his love for them. Paul says in verse 4, “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — for it is by grace you have been saved.”
We have a reason beyond the resurrection of Christ to celebrate this Easter if God, through Christ, has saved you. You can celebrate the fact that the Lord has raised you to a new way of living. He not only has forgiven you, but he also has made a way for you to be a different person from the inside out.
The good news is that if you haven’t allowed him to change you, the invitation is given to you. Now the ball is in your court.