Jesus said, ” I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” John 11:25
Of all the church celebrations during the years, Easter has always been the day of days! Covid has certainly forced us to make changes in some of the traditions, but it has made it more apparent that the differences in the way this world looks at this day is more divided than ever.
Some people see Easter as just another long weekend, a chance to fill Easter baskets, dye eggs, wear new spring clothes, and wait for the Easter Bunny to deliver treats. Some people view the days as a chance to gather with family and have an Easter ham. The Christian should see this day as so much deeper. It should be an opportunity for us to declare that Jesus was crucified, dead and buried, but on this day He arose from the dead! This is a day when we sing, Christ our Lord has risen today. Hallelujah!
The correct definition of Hallelujah is God be praised according to Webster. I am a fan of grammar, and in grammar, the word hallelujah would be classified as an interjection which is a word which shows sudden surprise or emotion. The thing about an interjection is that it is grammatically independent of the words around it and expresses feeling rather than meaning.
On Easter morning, there is strong emotion when we declare, Hallelujah, He is risen. The empty tomb is just a reminder of the awesome God we serve who has risen from the dead!
There comes with this day a chance to raise some questions in our own lives. These questions could be: Why do we go to church? Why do we sing the hymns, repeat the prayers and listen and respond to a sermon? Do we go to worship God or out of habit or a sense of duty? Are we using this time in church to strengthen our faith so we can serve as an example to others, or going just a habit? Do we want to serve or be served? Is our faith alive or dead?
Faith at its basic level is the acceptance that things one has never seen could be real. Aren’t we as Christians obligated to make sure people hear about our faith? Jesus is not in a rock casket. He wasn’t there. The stone had been rolled away. That fact alone demands a response from us. We can either crown Him with thorns, spit in His face, pierce His side with a spear, or we can run to the foot of that cross, fall on our knees and call Him Lord of all. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, we must life up the Son of Man.
The cross is God’s first and last word when it comes to salvation. When Jesus said, “It is finished”, all our sins from the cradle to the grave were paid. There is no Plan B for salvation. The only highway to heaven goes through Calvary. You can’t take a detour and pass the cross if you want salvation.
This Easter as we look at the beautiful cross, we should remind ourselves, “He did it for me!!” Hallelujah!
When He comes our glorious King, All His ransomed home to bring; Then anew His song we will sing, Hallelujah! What a Savior!! Philip P. Bliss
Wonderful reminders!