NEEDING Easter

Do you NEED Easter? For years I LIKED Easter, ENJOYED Easter, and CELEBRATED Easter, but I’m not sure I felt like I needed it. I had faith in Jesus and was grateful for what He faced on the cross. But like Tim Keller notes in his book, Hope in Times of Fear, I often gave the powerful reality of the resurrection a place in my heart ONLY about facing death. I needed Jesus’ resurrection power to comfort my loss of loved ones. In my daily reality, it wasn’t forefront in my mind.

Resurrection does change everything. It proves Jesus’ identity as God. It is the greatest miracle of history. It robs death of its power and sting. All of those things affect my eternity, and I’m grateful. But a few years ago, I began to lean into the impact of resurrection on my everyday life.

A resurrected Jesus is a present and ready Jesus. I don’t just think of Jesus long ago; I think of Him in my NOW.

A resurrected Jesus is a reassuring Jesus. I’m not alone, and I’m not a victim of circumstances. He is at work NOW.

A resurrected Jesus is a hope-sustaining Jesus. Nothing I face will be as overwhelming as the Cross, and no solution I muster will be greater than the resurrection. If He can deal with death, He can sustain me in everything else. I live in the best and worst of days with my trust in the resurrected Jesus.

I think that’s what Paul meant when he wrote to the Galatians: My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. [NLT] I live by trusting in a LIVING rescuer, a LIVING sustainer, and a LIVING hope. I NEED Easter more than I ever realized, not just for the end of my life but for the NOW of my life.

Do you NEED Easter?