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I grew up in a small Methodist church on the far side of town. With immaculately stained glass windows, red velvety pews, and abundant classrooms, you’d be shocked to know less than 100 people attended. And yet, every year, Easter would draw a crowd double that number.
One of my favorite memories at this church was attending the Passover meal. Right before the traditional Easter services, we’d partake in the body and blood of Jesus Christ. We’d sit around small tables, talk about His sacrifice, eat a meal, and imagine what it would’ve been like to have been one of the 12 Disciples. We’d ask ourselves:
Would I stay faithful?
Would I follow at a distance?
Would I betray Jesus?
Would I give my life until the end?
At the end of the evening, everyone would shuffle back into the sanctuary for prayer and worship. As we sang “O The Blood of Jesus,” and “Because He Lives,” we were reminded to take this Easter—and every Easter to come—as a truly monumental day. To have the right perspective. To focus on what really matters.
As a child, I fought the temptation to idolize the Easter Bunny or the presents I would receive. I loved getting together with family, hunting for Easter eggs, and participating in holiday traditions. But I was often reminded that Easter isn’t and shouldn’t be a one-and-done day we celebrate every year. It should be a reminder of how to live and why we have the freedom to live no matter what day it is.
1 Corinthians 15:1-5 says it this way: “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve” (1 Corinthians 15:1-5, NIV).
Now into my late twenties, I don’t struggle as much with the temptation of gifts and toys. I’m a very minimalist person who strives to live for Heaven and not Earth. But, I’m often tempted to glance over Easter as the same holiday we celebrate year after year. I’m often tempted to “believe in vain,” when I choose to pass over the beauty of this holiday and focus on the stress and hustle and bustle instead. If you can relate, here are two practices I recommend to prepare your heart for Easter and beyond.
