Easter 2016 is a brand new deal. It is not like last year… this is totally new and different! On the other hand, Easter 2016 is just the same as it has always been. It is a exactly like it was last year… it is a repeat of the last 2000 years. Both of these thoughts are true. Easter 2016 recognizes and celebrates the same thing it has always recognized and celebrated… yet this year it is totally new and fresh.
The resurrection of Christ from the dead is the most transcendent, yet dynamic, event in all of human history. It is in fact, the defining event that has, is and will ever occur in the history of the universe. Wow, that is quite a statement! But let’s face it… if the Son of God existed before time began, if creation happened through the Son of God, if life is sustained through the Son of God, and if the Son of God is the host of eternity… then His resurrection is the most significant thing that has ever happened.
The resurrection of Christ is the once and for all defeat of death which is the mortal enemy of every person who has ever lived. The brokenness of man has reaped untold chaos in the lives of every person. That chaos is a result of our demand for autonomy from God. It is not that we don’t believe in God but we have chosen to compete with Him. We want to be like Him and in fact we want to be equal with Him. We are not satisfied to be under the authority of the creator. We want to have authority over ourselves, and even over others, and even over God Himself. But the result has been catastrophic, and we see it everyday in the world around us and even in our own lives.
So… therefore… the resurrection of Christ offers each of us His powerful and profound grace by which we can be transformed. That story and that offer has never changed. It is the same year in and year out. However, that story and that offer is new every year and in fact it is new every day. His willingness to shoulder our sin on our behalf is almost beyond comprehension. That is the weight of God’s wrath that He carried on the cross and it is my sin that caused His death as I was set free. That freedom is something we celebrate every year in a brand new way. In fact, we celebrate it every day in a fresh and compelling fashion. God’s grace is not offered cheaply – it cost Him His Son. That same grace is not cheap for us either. It is free for us but it is not cheap. He offers it free of cost to receive it, however, the rational response is to surrender once again to His authority in our lives on daily basis. May Easter 2016 be a celebration of His grace and His love and His power in us who desperately need His grace and His love and His power.