Easter Everyday

The other day, Easter plans were being discussed in my family text chain when a family member responded, “He is almost risen!” This left the door open for another family member to chime in with, “Which would mean…you’re almost not dead in your trespasses and sins…” We all laughed because the work of Jesus is finished, the grave is still empty, and when we receive God’s grace, we die to sin and live in Christ. Jesus is not almost risen; He is alive, and His Gospel is true. 

But then I had a thought, “If we only celebrate Easter one day a year, do we also live like Jesus is almost risen until that day comes the next year? Do we believe that Resurrection Sunday is whenever our calendars tell us, or that Resurrection Sunday is EVERY day?” 

The celebration of Easter is rich in symbolic practices that call for the church to remember all that Christ has done and what is available to us every day. That means these practices are not limited to just one day. Even though Easter has been associated with dates near Passover and pagan spring holidays, it is so much more than eggs, bunnies, and one day a year. The death and resurrection of Jesus mean so much more than a nice Easter outfit, family photos, and one meal together. The resurrection of Jesus is everything, and it impacts every day. 

Paul wrote it this way while defending the Gospel and the resurrection of Jesus:

“And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.” 1 Corinthians 15:17-21 (NIV)

And the resurrection did come, and it still impacts every part of our existence. The death and resurrection of Jesus atones for our sin, makes us new, and transforms us entirely. The realness of Jesus’ resurrection meets us with Easter levels of excitement and expectation every day. It empowers us to live with Easter levels of engagement every day. It encourages us to live with Easter levels of engagement every day. And it calls us to live with Easter levels of extravagance every day. 

Jesus is not almost risen. He is Risen, indeed! And because His resurrection impacts our lives in such meaningful and glorious ways, I want to encourage you to respond to the resurrection not only this Easter season, but every day. 

The first way you can respond to the resurrection is to:

Live Easter Excited and Expectant Everyday 

The hope of Easter meets us every day and calls us to live with the level of excitement we have on Easter. There is a certain expectancy on Easter Sunday. The music will be louder, the gathering will be more joyful, the day will be full of fun, and God will be on the move, transforming and giving new life, resurrection life. Living Easter excited every day is believing that the power of the resurrection gifts us with the same levels of expectancy on each day as on Easter Sunday.  

The resurrection of Jesus declares over the monotony, depression, anxiety, fear, doubts, and struggles of our lives that there is a level of hope that anchors our souls. This hope reaches into our Monday through Saturday and reminds us that the power of the resurrection isn’t only active on Sundays. We have an assurance that God is still at work in bringing the dead to life, healing the broken, saving the lost, and making all things new. 

What if our first thought on the Monday following Easter Sunday wasn’t running through the checklist of things to do or noting that we’re heading back into the real world? What if our first thought was that the resurrection of Jesus actually happened and actually changes everything, every day? What if our level of excitement for each day was the same level of expectation we have for Easter? 

I believe we would see God’s people living in hope and being set free in the truth that the power of the resurrection is more than just one day a year. My friends, let us hope each day the way we do on Easter. We don’t just hope once a year for a future far off, but we hope from that future into every day of our lives. Tim Keller said it this way: 

"The resurrection means not merely that Christians have a hope for the future but that they have a hope that comes from the future." — Tim Keller

The second way you can respond to the resurrection is to:

Live Easter Engaged Everyday 

Easter is an “all-hands-on-deck” season. In the life of the church and for Christians, there are multiple services, large meals, Easter egg hunts, and many other practices we engage in. Churches ask their congregations to serve more during this weekend because people are more likely to attend church on Easter compared to every other Sunday throughout the year. There is an overall higher level of engagement for the people of God.

And as we engage in these things, we find meaning in the simple things. We explain to our children that eggs represent the stone that was rolled away and Jesus’ resurrection. We tell them that cracking open eggs represents the new life from the resurrection. We also teach them that bunnies and springtime represent new life. And we point to the symbols of lilies for purity and lambs for the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 

What if we lived Easter engaged every day? What if we look for meaning in the simple things in life? What if our eyes, ears, and hearts were always looking for things that pointed to Jesus? What if we were engaged in our families, communities, and churches with Easter levels of serving and giving? What if we lived more engaged lives that were more present in the power of the resurrection? 

I believe that we would see the people of God living in full and abundant life that Jesus came to give us (Jn. 10:10). Not just one day a year, but each day, as we walk in the power of the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead (Rms. 8:11). And that gift of life is not just something we receive from God, it is something we experience living engaged with God. 

The third way we can respond to the resurrection is to:

Live with Easter Levels of Extravagance

Easter Sunday is when people wear their best Sunday-best. Depending on what church y’all attend, Easter is not just a church hat, it is the church hat day. Choirs and worship bands are dialed in and cranked up. Preachers are funnier, wittier, and bringing their best Gospel presentation of the year. The ministry leaders have all their most attractive and accessible materials for the new guests who attend. From hospitality to graphics, everything is more extravagant. After all, there is a celebration for the most important thing of history: the resurrection of Jesus. 

Then, families go home to extravagantly decorated homes and tables. Feasts are provided, eggs are hunted, and the celebration continues. After all, Easter is about the most important event of history: the resurrection of Jesus. 

But what about Monday morning when the sink is still full of eggshells, and the kids have a candy hangover from too much chocolate? What about Tuesday, when Easter candy is the go-to snack, and everybody is being snappy because y’all are still tired from the extravagance of the weekend? What about the next Sunday morning when it’s time for church again, but “we already celebrated last week…”? 

Friends, the extravagance of Easter reaches into every day and moment of our lives. The power of the resurrection changes everything. If Jesus’ death and resurrection are real–which they are–one day a year is not enough extravagance to properly celebrate, worship, and engage in the hope of His victory over sin, hell, death, the grave, and the enemy. 

What if we lived Easter-extravagant every day like we do Easter Sunday? I believe that we would see God’s people treating each day like the gift that it is. I believe that we would experience God’s mercy fresh each moment and live with a keen awareness that the invitation of Jesus’ victory is available all the time. The celebration of Easter, in all its extravagance, is not a once-a-day or whenever we feel like it type of thing. Easter is every day. The resurrection is every day. As Pope John Paul II said, “Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.” 

Beloved, Jesus is not almost risen. He is Risen, indeed. It is finished. Sin, death, hell, the enemy, and the grave have been overcome. There is hope for our entire lives and all eternity more. There is an everlasting celebration we are ushered into that spans more than one day of the year. There is a warm welcome for each person to live fully present in these gifts every day. 

N.T. Wright wrote, "The message of Easter is that God's new world has been unveiled in Jesus Christ and that you're now invited to belong to it.” Let us belong to this new world, living with Easter levels of excitement, engagement, and extravagance, every day. After all, it’s Easter every day. Amen.