Whenever I hear of an upcoming celebration, I feel the joy rising up within me. I love celebrations. Whether informal or formal, I’m always glad to have a reason to celebrate. The word “celebrate” literally means “to assemble to honor.” It comes from the Latin word, celebrare, meaning “to honor a person, day, or season with festivities.” There are many special occasions in life that we celebrate, such as birthdays, weddings, graduations, national holidays, etc…. However, for the Christian, the most important celebration of all is Easter. Why is that the case? 1 Corinthians 15:14 boldly states, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless, and so is your faith.” If Christ had not risen from the grave, our faith would be useless, our salvation meaningless, and our preaching pointless. As a matter of fact, while Jesus’ birth was miraculous and His deeds were extraordinary, His greatest work–that of conquering death–was of incomparable significance. The importance of Jesus’ resurrection cannot be exaggerated. Without the resurrection, there is no salvation—or Christianity!
Knowing this, we can easily see why Easter is the most important holiday of all for the Christian. It is a joyous time to worship the Lord with family and friends. But in addition to celebrating on Easter Sunday, we should celebrate what Jesus has accomplished every day of the year! What do I mean by this?
I mean that we should follow the commandment set forth in Deuteronomy 6:4-8, which says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” We are called to celebrate what Christ has done for us every day of the year! We are called to express our love and devotion to Him in every season!
In addition to Easter, don’t forget to celebrate the Day of Ascension—or what some Christians call “the Feast of Ascension.” This refers to the day that Jesus went to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. Only after the ascension was Jesus’ work complete. Hebrews 10:11-12 states, “Day after day, every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again, and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this Priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.” Jesus’ sacrifice was “finished” on the cross, but His work was not completed until He ascended to the Father! Just as the apostles saw Jesus ascend into the heavens, we too will see Him descend on the very last day. What a celebration that day will be!
Please check out this wonderful reading of God’s Easter Miracles. The sound effects are wonderful! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C5GGlQH20Y&t=301s
