I’m sure I wasn’t the only person to mutter under their breath (and it wasn’t a quiet mutter) as the first Easter buns and chocolate eggs appeared on supermarket shelves scarcely after the Christmas crackers were removed. I tried to placate myself that this was a good thing for those on tight budgets—that it’s far easier to put a small purchase away each week than have to do a major choc and bun shop in that final payday ahead of Easter.
And yet there is something so special about the Easter weekend that I bristle at the early merchandising of its associated trappings.
Easter marks a crucial moment in human history. Before, we were eking out some pseudo-experience of intimacy with our Maker. But after the agonising death and miraculous resurrection of Jesus, the world is on a different axis altogether. Humanity now has a guaranteed way to connect with God, and because of Easter we can live free from the power of sin and powered by God’s Holy Spirit. The flow-on effect of that is generation after generation of transformed lives—of people living with hope and purpose, and knowing freedom from guilt and fear.
If you’re not yet convinced of the resurrection power of Christ, I urge you to get along to a church service this Easter. All Salvation Army churches will be open, and from many years’ experience I can assure you this is a certain way to catch a glimpse of the happiness and peace that Jesus brings.
If you still have questions about the intersection of Jesus with this world—and of Jesus’s relevance for your own life—then ask someone to help you find answers to those questions. I’d also recommend the Alpha Course (www.alpha.org.nz), which is for anyone curious about the Christian faith.
Of course, I will enjoy a few delicious Easter buns and a couple of Easter eggs over Easter weekend. But my greatest enjoyment will come from knowing these symbolise the richness of the life I’ve come to know through meeting and following the risen Jesus.
Christina Tyson
1 Peter 1:3–4 The Message
‘Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now!’
Piripa 1:3
‘Kia whakapaingia te Atua, te Matua o tō tātou Ariki, o Īhu Karaiti, nāna nei, nā tāna mahi tohu e nui nei, tātou i whānau hou ai ki te tūmanako ora, i a Īhu Karaiti ka ara ake nei i te hunga mate …’