I justify the cost of my ignorance by remaining that way.

I used to be really good at it. That’s why I never challenged the idea that the resurrection of Jesus Christ only deserved my limited attention.

The Christian community has chosen to set aside a certain day [or season] in the Spring of every year to focus on this miracle even though there’s no Biblical mandate to do so.  But, don’t get me wrong, I love the privilege of rejoicing and worshiping together on Easter Sunday as well.

Yet, it saddens me that this most pivotal event is rarely acknowledged and celebrated as the single most relevant event in the lives of all of His disciples—past and present. Because “…one thing is for sure, every ingredient of the Christian hope is built around this miracle.”

[Read why: Bridging the common gap of fear.]

But what’s more disheartening is that it’s not an innocent oversight.  The joy of a future resurrection of the righteous dead has been diminished in our congregations for centuries, having been replaced with a life-after-death fantasy suggesting that immortality currently exists somewhere in the heavens for the dead—even before that resurrection takes place!

As a result, The Good News of the Bible has lost its gospel teeth over years of abuse and neglect from unfaithful stewardship of the written Word. But the Word remains unchanged.  Because the only hope the New Testament authors ever expressed was to be raised from the dead just like Jesus had been.  And it was only because of His resurrection that they could look forward to theirs.  [Ac. 24:14-15; Rom. 6:8; Phil. 3:10; 1Pet. 1:3]

And that, my friends, is what the celebration of Easter is all about.

It began as a single event in time that occurred on a specific day.   But I wouldn’t logically apply its impact to my life over a similar time span of just one day as well—that is, of course, unless I think there’s some part of me that never dies.

That’s why I celebrate Easter every day. 

I don’t know about you, but, as one who claims to be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ, I can no longer justify the price of my ignorance for any reason.  The occasion of coming together to worship and celebrate His resurrection can be mocked, prohibited, or even canceled!

But that should never affect my correct understanding of its significance.