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'How can we not focus on the true meaning?'

I really struggled during this year's preparation for Easter (or, as I prefer, Resurrection Sunday). However, the struggle ended with joy.

The struggle came partly as I saw all of the emphasis on secular celebration of what the world refers to as Easter. It seemed that all I heard about was Easter egg hunts. Everywhere I looked, I saw posters with announcements about the egg hunts and carnivals. Announcements in the paper even gave the impression that some churches were forgoing worship on the Lord's Day, Resurrection Day, for the egg hunts and carnivals.

A great concern for me was that, with the world situation and all that is going on even in our local communities, how can we not focus on the true meaning, the biblical meaning, of what this weekend is all about?

This is the day that changed all the world! This is one day that is celebrated in every part of the world. The happenings of this day changed the hearts of the men and women who followed Jesus. And hearts are still being changed even today.

The other part of my struggle was personal and pastoral. I learned a lot. And I pray that I grew spiritually. On Friday (Good Friday), I was sitting in my car waiting for my wife. It was about 3 p.m. If you know anything about the events in His life, you know what was happening to Jesus about that time. As I listened to Christian radio, I heard a monologue set to music. It was an adaptation of a message from S. M. Lockridge, a great preacher from years ago. The title was "It's Friday, but Sunday's Coming." As I listened, my thought was this. It was not a "good" Friday for Jesus, but what a glorious day it is for those who know and believe what He did for us that day!

If you could step into the heart of a pastor who has preached to the same church family on Easter for nearly 48 years, you would get a glimpse of the struggle that I go through as I prepare for Resurrection Sunday. The human side wonders. What can I say to hold their attention? Spiritually, you ask, Lord, what do you want me to say?

The intensity grew as I woke up nearly two hours before I was to get up to go to the sunrise service. From that point on, sleep was impossible as all of my thoughts turned to the potential happenings of the coming morning.

Once again, the spirit placed it upon my heart. This must be something like the anxiety and anticipation of those who planned to go to visit the tomb of Jesus on that resurrection morning. As I lay there, I did my best, asking the help of God's spirit to place everything in the hands of the Lord.

I cannot in words tell you how thankful I am to God. He is so merciful and so gracious, and I am so undeserving. He showed up in our sunrise service and our morning worship in a glorious way. We worshiped and praised Him in victory!

Isn't that what Easter is all about? Just think about all of the sorrow, the suffering and the agony Jesus went through during that Passion Week. He was crucified. He was buried. But on the third day, He rose up from the grave in victory.

How can we take such a glorious event, such a holy event, and make it so secular? Paul said, "If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless…. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins…. And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world." (1 Cor. 15:13-19)

How sad! Why leave resurrection out?

Paul: "But <em>in fact</em>, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died&#8230;. Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when He comes back." (1 Cor. 15:20, 23)

Glory!

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