EASTER — ARE YOU READY?

Christmas takes a lot of preparation. Decorate the whole house..inside and out. Shopping can be a real hassle. Next comes a trip to the grocery store to get supplies to make cookies, candy, and plum pudding. Followed by another trip to purchase supplies for Christmas dinner!!! Then it is all done in reverse. Dinner is over and the kitchen has to be cleaned. Leftover sweets are boxed up. Wrapping paper is put back in the corner of the closet. And, with a deep sigh, the taking down of the decorations …inside and out.. begins.

Yes, Christmas takes a lot of preparation. Easter on the other hand is easy. Set out an Easter bunny. Color a few eggs. Buy a new outfit. Stick the ham in the oven. And, after Easter, put the bunny away. 

Or is there more to it?

We want to celebrate Christmas. We picture Mary peacefully riding that donkey. Angels and heavenly hosts singing. Shepherds heading to the stable. Hey, who doesn’t want to see a new baby? Yes, we want to celebrate Christmas and we want to cherish the birth of Jesus from the moment the angel tells Mary that she is blessed. But Easter is different. 

We want to picture Jesus riding the colt and hear the shouts of Hosanna. We want to picture Jesus breaking the bread and holding the cup. We want to celebrate a risen Savior. We want to skip over the other parts. We do not want to think of Jesus standing condemned. We do not want to picture Jesus being beaten and forced to carry the Cross. We do not want to witness Jesus hanging on the Cross. We do not want to see him die. We do not want to watch as he is put into the tomb. We want to skip over those parts. 

But we cannot skip those parts because they are the Easter Story!!! Those parts are our salvation. Those parts are our hope. Jesus took our sins. And then Jesus gave us the way to have eternal life.

Easter asks a question: Are you ready? 

Easter asks a question that only you can answer: Do you know the way?

Get ready for Easter. Set out the bunny. Color a few eggs. Buy a new outfit. Put the ham in the oven. 

But don’t forget. You have two questions to answer: Are you ready and do you know the way?