Celebrating the Resurrection

by ambrozjo at www.sxc.hu

by ambrozjo at www.sxc.hu

The resurrection of Christ is the crux of Christianity. Jesus was not only crucified and buried, but he was raised on the third day.  We serve a living Savior!  

The New Testament gives no command for elevating Easter as a religious holiday.  I am glad our culture considers Jesus and I see it as an opportunity to share the story of Jesus.  But we should understand we celebrate the resurrection, not just on the holiday of Easter, but all through the year.

How do Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ?

Here are some ways we celebrate Christ’s resurrection all year long. 

  1. Our Day of Assembling Together – The Jews worshipped on Saturday; the Sabbath.  What caused the early Jewish converts to change their day of worship?  One simple answer: the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Jesus was resurrected on the first day of the week (Mat. 28:1).  The day of Pentecost was a Sunday.  The early church worshipped on Sunday (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor. 16:2).  John called it the Lord’s day (Rev. 1:10).  
  2. Our Worship – Christian worship is filled with references to the resurrection.  Our songs praise  the glory of the resurrection.  Every gospel sermon proclaims the power of the resurrected Lord (1 Cor. 15:1-4).  The Lord’s Supper is a communion with the resurrected Lord and looks forward to His return (1 Cor. 11:26).  We give to spread the message of the resurrected Lord.
  3. Our Prayers We Utter – Our corporate and private prayers imply a resurrected Lord.  We pray to our Great High Priest – Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God mediating on our behalf (Heb. 4:14-16, 10:12).  We pray to a risen Lord, not a dead savior.   He can now give aid to us because he has shared in our sufferings (Heb. 2:14-18).
  4. Our Hope  – Paul would tie the resurrection directly to the Christian’s hope (1 Cor. 15:12-23).  Without the resurrection we are above all men to be pitied (1 Cor.  15:19).  Whenever Christians gather at a graveside and sorrow with hope over a departed saint, we are celebrating the resurrection.  When we face our own mortality and frailness, we cling to the hope of the resurrection.  Jesus said, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, AMEN” (Rev. 1:18).
  5. Our Baptism – Also each time someone gives their life to Christ in baptism we celebrate the resurrection.  Paul makes this point in Romans 6:3-6.  We are united with Christ in both his death and resurrection.  Paul says that “just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4).  Peter ties baptism to the resurrection of Christ (1 Pet. 3:21).  We have a new life now, because of the resurrection of Christ.

Christians should celebrate the resurrection of Jesus ever day.

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1 ping

  1. […] Easter is a celebrated holiday in the American culture.  It has lots of traditions built around it that families enjoy like Easter Egg hunts, family meals, and eating candy!  It is not a commanded holiday for Christians. Christians are to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, not only on Easter, but everyday (See my post on how we celebrate the resurrection). […]

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