Easter: Beyond the Traditions

Elizabeth shares about why Easter Sunday is so important and why we need to go beyond traditions.Easter.Just the mention of the holiday invokes thoughts of chocolate eggs, hot cross buns and Easter egg hunts.Growing up in the southeast United States, Easter was full of traditions. My two sisters and I would get taken on a shopping trip and we would buy matching dresses for Easter Sunday. We made homemade hot cross buns with my great-grandmother’s recipe. There were hardboiled eggs to paint, plastic eggs to hunt for and an Easter basket full of chocolates and jelly babies waiting for us on Sunday morning. My family would attend Easter sunrise services and join in with the bring and share breakfasts that our churches put on afterwards. I would often sing in the children’s choir or take part in an Easter themed musical that the church put on.You may recognise a few of these traditions. You may have your own. You may not have any.The thing is, Easter isn’t about our traditions. Easter is about celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Easter is about victory and life.On Good Friday, we reflect on the crucifixion of Christ and His burial in a tomb. All of us face death. Romans 3:23 reminds us that ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.’ Further on, Paul explains that ‘the wages [or price] of sin is death’ (Romans 6:23). On the cross, Jesus pays that price.However, that is not the end of the narrative.It is so important that we don’t miss the resurrection. We need the cross and Jesus' death, but that isn't enough. If Jesus did not come back to life, then our faith is worthless. If Jesus stayed in the tomb, this life offers us little hope or purpose (1 Corinthians 15:18; 32).But Jesus did rise from the dead! On Easter Sunday, His followers found themselves standing before an empty tomb. Then over and over again, they meet the risen Lord.Jesus’ victory over death means that we can access eternal life and a relationship with Him. He paid the price for our freedom from death and that gives us the ability to have a relationship with the Father. When our time on this earth is done, we will spend eternity with Him. His life gives us life.Easter is a victory cry, an anthem:

“‘Where O death is your victory? Where O death is your sting?’ … But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:55; 57).

Why does it matter? Why is it important to think beyond the traditions?‘I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand’ (1 Corinthians 15:1). It matters because it is the basis of what we believe. It is what we stand on. Jesus claimed victory over death and He offers that victory to us. Jesus is alive and He offers that life to us.That is what Easter is about.