On April 24, 2010, I woke up to my alarm with excitement, grabbed a Reese’s cup I had set on my nightstand, sat up in bed, and savored each bite of that glorious peanut butter and chocolate combination.
As a runner and health-conscious individual, the practice of eating candy the second I wake up is not something I had done before or would recommend. However, April 24 was Easter morning. And after giving up all candy and desserts for Lent, Easter morning meant freedom from my commitment and the ability to enjoy one of my favorite foods once again! Which I took no delay in doing.
A lot of denominations don’t celebrate Lent, and there’s nothing in the Bible that says we have to, but it’s been a meaningful time in my walk with Christ for many years. Lent, similar to Advent at Christmas time, is a time where we focus our hearts and minds on Christ and prepare for His resurrection.
During the 46 days before Easter, believers are encouraged to give up things that distract them from Christ or focus on habits that can be used to strengthen their relationship with Him. That year when I gave up sweets, I challenged myself to intentionally pray every time I was offered a dessert or was tempted to have one. It also was a great conversation starter when someone asked why I wasn’t having a piece of cake; it allowed me to share about Easter and the joy of Christ’s resurrection.
I have given up social media, gossip and similar distractions before. This year, rather than focusing on weeding out something in my life, I focused on what I wanted more of and have been dedicating a specific amount of time each morning to prayer— lifting up my family, my school, friends and my non-believing friends by name. This year, I hope to continue these practices after Easter!
Even when I haven’t been fasting from sweets or social media, Easter morning has always been full of joy and anticipation for me. There were several reasons for this excitement. For one, my mom had an old Sandi Patty Easter CD she would blast from the kitchen as we got ready. It was hard not to be excited when proclamations of “He is Risen!” and “Morning Like This” played throughout the house. Besides new Easter clothes and seeing many of my friends who didn’t regularly come to church, Easter held, and still does hold, anticipation for an even more significant reason.
This joy and anticipation began at the first Easter.
Matthew 28:2-6, 9 “There was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards were so shaken by fear of him that they became like dead men. The angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. For He has risen, just as He said… Just then Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ They came up, took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him.”
I can’t imagine the sick feeling of disappointment Jesus’ followers woke up with each morning following the crucifixion of their friend and Lord. Everything they believed and gave their lives for turned out to be a lie. However, it’s amazing how quickly their dread turned to shock and amazement when they discovered the empty tomb and the Messiah Himself. What else could they do but fall at His feet and worship?
They didn’t keep this news to themselves.
John 20: 1-4 “So Mary went running to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put Him!’ At that, Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first.”
In this passage, we not only see one of the first cross-country races in history, or maybe steeplechase depending on the terrain, but we also see the disciples’ eagerness, joy and urgency.
For those of us who have accepted Christ’s gift of grace and forgiveness offered when He died on the Cross, this joy and eagerness applies to us! We don’t have to wait until April 17th to remember that Christ conquered death– that He became victorious over all of the sadness we will ever have, hardships we will face and sins we will commit. This reminder should fill us with the same triumph, hope and urgency to share His life with others.
We shouldn’t celebrate Christ’s conquering of death only one morning a year, but EVERY morning!
And celebrate the Gospel each time we sin and wonder if His grace is still enough.
And celebrate it every time we lose a loved one and wonder if we’ll see them again.
And celebrate every time we are provided with an opportunity to share what we believe.
It’s called the GOOD NEWS for a reason. We have the answer to unexplainable joy, hope, peace and eternal life! We get to live every day with the knowledge that surpasses all understanding and wake up each day like it’s Easter morning!
