What’s the difference between a holiday like Easter and any other holiday on the calendar? What are holidays really about, anyway, and why do we celebrate them?

Holidays mean different things to different people. For some, the best part of a holiday is gathering together with family and friends. For others, the holiday is an important moment to pause and remember historical milestones like the first Thanksgiving or the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Some holidays also remind us to honor those who have made sacrifices, as we do on Veterans’ Day or Memorial Day.

All of these are important ways holidays help us remember historical events that have shaped the world. In many cases, the events we celebrate still directly impact our daily lives, even today. They represent our cultural story, and some of them have been and still are essential in establishing the freedoms we enjoy.

But Easter is different.

While the historical events that founded our country and shaped our freedoms all deserve recognition and gratitude, in the end they cannot solve our deepest problems.

On Easter, however, we’re not just honoring a cultural achievement or remembering a national hero. We’re celebrating Christ’s final victory over sin and death, accomplished on that first Easter Sunday over 2,000 years ago. Because of the resurrection, we now have ultimate freedom in Christ, accomplished on our behalf on the cross!

No other historical event has so changed our lives as Christ’s resurrection. Our celebration should reflect that!

This Easter, we invite our church family and community to join us as we meditate on how the Resurrection changes us. Every activity – from our Sunrise Service to the Morning Worship Service – will point us toward Christ’s victory and what it accomplished.

Because of the resurrection, I have ______. The resurrection has changed me from _____ to _______.

How would you fill in those blanks? We hope you’ll spend some time thinking about that question this week! To get your creative juices flowing, here are a few of the answers you can find in Romans 8 (we’ll dig into this passage more on Sunday):

1. Because of the resurrection, I have NO CONDEMNATION (8:1).
   Think about that glorious fact! Christ’s death paid for all the wrath, judgment, and condemnation we deserved for our sin. The resurrection guarantees that the payment was accepted, and sin does not have the final word! In spite of what your feelings, your world, or the evil one tries to tell you, you are under NO condemnation if you are in Christ!
2. Because of the resurrection, I have FREEDOM (8:17).
   “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’”We are no longer slaves to the fear of condemnation or anything else! We are no longer “in the flesh,” destined to commit the same old sins. No, we have been freed by the power of the resurrection! Just as death no longer has a hold on Christ, so sin has no hold on us. This leads to another benefit: we are now children of God! A new identity, adopted, made His own – how awesome is that?
3. Because of the resurrection, I have HOPE (8:17-30).
   Paul says that just as Christ rose from the dead, so new life is coming for us one day in spite of all our sufferings. Death is defeated! Even if we experience physical death ourselves or for our loved ones, the story is not over. Just as we were justified, so one day we will be glorified, raised with Christ to new and eternal life!

It can’t get much better than this, can it? And yet there are MANY more benefits of the resurrection that Romans 8 lays out – not to mention many other Scriptures!

As we approach our celebration of Easter this Sunday, consider these questions: What is the benefit of the resurrection for my life? What has happened to me personally because Christ arose? How has my life changed because of this historical event?

How to Prepare Your Heart to Celebrate

Here are a few ideas that may help as you meditate on your new life in Christ:

• Pray through Romans 8 – Make a list of the benefits described to us in this passage and pray through them in preparation for our corporate celebration of the resurrection!
• Pray through the Psalms – Pray through one or two Psalms each day and thank God for how He works in our lives and circumstances for his glory. Because of Christ’s resurrection, both Old Testament and New Testament believers have been redeemed from the power of sin! Consider starting with Psalm 18, 34, 42, 51, and 139.
• Study the Names of God – The names of God in Scripture have deep significance for how he works in our lives as believers. Take time this week to study how God’s names teach us who He is and how He works on our behalf.
• Study the Promises of God – There are more than 7,000 promises of God in the Bible! What do they mean for believers who have been redeemed through the power of the resurrection? Here are just a few to get you started:
  • God is always good – Psalm 145:9, Psalm 100:5, Psalm 34:8
  • God is always with me – Joshua 1:9, Isaiah 41:10, Philippians 4:6-7
  • God will help me – Psalm 33:20, Hebrews 4:16, Hebrews 13: 6
  • God loves me – Psalm 5:11-12, Romans 8:38-39, Ephesians 3:18-1
  • I am secure in Christ – John 10:28-30, Ephesians 1:13, Philippians 1:6
• Meditate on the Words of Hymns and Praise Songs – Create a playlist of hymns and praise songs that turn your heart to Jesus’ victory on the cross. You may also want to choose one or more songs to memorize with your family. Here are a few to consider: Crown Him with Many Crowns, I Know Whom I Have Believed, And Can It Be, In Christ Alone, Living Hope, Cornerstone. Or listen to some of the songs we will sing together on Easter: Christ the Lord Is Ris’n Today, O Praise the Name, Turn Your Eyes, Death Was Arrested, Christ Is Risen (He Is Risen Indeed), Behold the Lamb, Thank You Jesus for the Blood, Resurrection Power, Hymn of Heaven…and more!

What would you add to this list? Think about it and come join us Sunday ready to tell others what the Resurrection means for you!