A great holiday is approaching in every sense: Easter. The day on which all believers celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the son of God.
The reason Easter was and remains so important to Christianity is because it is the center of our faith and the basis of our identity as Christians. Of course, the birth of Jesus is important, as is His ascension. But these events do not save us from our sins.
The birth of Jesus is mentioned in only two Gospels, the ascension in two more and in Acts.
The death and resurrection of Jesus are described in all the Gospels. This event is considered the cornerstone of Christianity, the rock on which the early Church was built.
Christ not only triumphed over death, He opened the doors to heaven. For the Old Testament prophets, for Adam and Eve, for us. Before the first coming of Christ, says Christian tradition, the doors to heaven were closed. Both the righteous and the sinners went to the underworld. Only Moses, Elijah and Enoch, and even the thief, were in paradise. After his death, Jesus went to hell and rescued all the righteous from there. The descent of Christ into hell happened on
the second day after His death, on Holy Saturday. Since then, the path to heaven has been open to all who confess Christ as their Savior.
With His blood, Christ paid for our sins, accepted death for sinful and imperfect people. Thanks to Him, we have received forgiveness from the Lord and enjoy His love rather than suffer from condemnation. “Our Easter is Christ,” wrote the Apostle Paul.
On the day of Christ’s bright resurrection, we celebrate the receipt of a great gift — eternal life in Jesus Christ. We celebrate the victory of God’s love over sin and unbelief. We celebrate freedom from sin, from the supremacy of the flesh, from the slavery of death.
That is why the service on this day is festive, with a procession of the cross, and it is not read, but sung. The churches are brightly lit, people come to the Easter service dressed up. Throughout the week, believers remembered the sufferings of Christ and His last days. We read the Gospel and kept a strict fast (especially on Holy Saturday). We lived through the events of those days.
And now the time has come to rejoice, because Christ “trampled death underfoot” and gave us the gift of eternal life.
Rejoice, people! Christ is Risen!
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