As Christians, we’re now approaching the most monumental time in our calendar – the Easter season. Most of us know that “Easter” is not the biblical term for our celebration. Jesus died on the same day as lambs were being slain for the Jewish Passover meal. He was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophesies about a suffering Messiah who would redeem God’s people once for all, whether they were Jew or Gentile.

A song we used to sing back in the ‘70s declared the immensity of redemption: “God and man at table are sat down.” The Savior made a way for sinful men and a holy God to find fellowship together once again. What was lost in the Fall was restored at the Cross. Reconciliation for our sins is the incredible benefit we receive by placing our faith in Jesus Christ.

But there’s even more to celebrate in this holiest of all Christian holidays. Three days following crucifixion, also in fulfillment of biblical prophecy, Jesus rose from the dead. In the glory of His resurrection we not only receive forgiveness for our sins but also victory over death itself. We who are mortal can look forward to immortality. Like Jesus, we will be clothed with spiritual bodies that will never be subject to death or decay again. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul explains the significance of Jesus’ resurrection. No wonder he ends the passage by exclaiming, “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 57). Can we identify with Paul’s enthusiasm or do we approach the Easter season with a yawn and a nod?

When Rachel, our oldest daughter, was five or six years old a kindly older neighbor asked if she could pick Rachel and Schuyler up for an evening Sunday school class being offered at a nearby church. At that time, I was far from the Lord and had forgotten my childhood decision to serve Him. But I figured it wouldn’t hurt the kids to learn a little Bible since it would come at no cost for me. So I agreed to let them go.

They both seemed to enjoy the classes and looked forward to going each week. As Easter approached, the Sunday school lesson of course turned to the crucifixion and Jesus’ death on the cross. Rachel was saddened by the account and told me with tears how awful she thought it was that He was put to death. But I knew that the story of the resurrection would follow, so I just let it go, figuring she’d be cheered up by that. I had no idea how cheered up she would be.

When she walked into our house the next week, her face was almost radiant. Excitedly she threw down her papers and ran to me, declaring at the top of her lungs, “He’s alive! He’s alive!!!” It was obvious that the account of His resurrection was no fairy tale to her – it was good news she couldn’t wait to share with me. I remember how I felt when I looked at her eagerness, her apparent faith, and her joy. I felt awful – ashamed that I couldn’t share her enthusiasm with her … and a little angry that the neighbor had put me in that awkward position. As uncomfortable as it was for me, God used that night to bring me under conviction. I thought I had put the incident out of my mind, but it kept coming back to me at times I least expected it to surface.

A short time later, the Spirit of God invaded our home and everything changed. Tony and I experienced the joy of salvation for ourselves. The truth of the Easter story found root in our hearts and we felt the same excitement that Rachel had that night. He’s alive!! became the most important fact of history to us.

The devotional writer Oswald Chambers observed (in his essay entitled “The Agony of Redemption”) that there is a moral preparation necessary for all of us to face the truth of God. Sometimes the preparation takes place through suffering, or an upset in our routine – something that startles us awake and tears us away from the comfort and predictability of everyday life. When God finally gets our attention, then He can impart to us life-changing truths that will transform how we see things and reorder the priorities of our lives.

As Moses neared the bush in the desert that burned but was not consumed, God told him, “Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). In these few words God was saying to His servant, this is not an ordinary conversation. This is something new, something you’re not familiar with, and you’ll need my help in understanding it. Prepare yourself and don’t be careless here. Give heed and allow what I’m telling you to change the whole direction of your life.

I believe that’s what we need as we approach Easter this year – to prepare ourselves for the life-changing truth of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Celebrating this is the very essence of our faith. To approach it with a ho-hum attitude is inexcusable. Like Rachel, we should be excited about our Passover Lamb and eager to share what He has done with others. Yes, I know that it’s been years since we heard the Easter story for the first time. Maybe we think it would be too hard to recapture our initial excitement about it. But the implications of our redemption are so profound–even for our lives these many years later–that we can still find plenty to get excited about.

This season should inspire every Christian, no matter how long they have been Christians, to “joyfully give thanks to the Father, who has qualified  [us] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:11-14). Can you imagine any gift more precious than this one? What kind of response is appropriate besides profound thankfulness and joy?

In Revelation 1, the apostle John begins his address to the seven churches in Asia by reminding them of the One who is the faithful witness of God, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth – Jesus Christ. His adoration and gratitude are unmistakable as he continues: “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen” (vv. 5-6).

Yet what is the present-day church’s attitude toward the celebration of this amazing truth? All too often, I’m afraid, we reflect the careless indifference that one writer acknowledged in himself. A.E. Whitham writes: “The only shadow on the cloudless Easter day of God’s victory is the poverty of my own devotion, the memory of ineffective hours of unbelief, and my own stingy response to God’s generosity.”

If we don’t approach Easter as a holy-ground experience, we may fall victim to a stingy response to God’s generosity. And that’s a real tragedy. For this celebration of our Passover Lamb being sacrificed for us and conquering sin and death is far more important to our spiritual lives than remembering Jesus’ birth at Christmas time. Redemption is the essence of the Christian faith and provides the basis for fellowship with a holy God.

I know I’ve been guilty of trivializing the holiday by just giving lip service to the Redeemer by attending a church service but centering my real celebration of the holiday around worldly elements like Easter egg hunts, parades, and food. This is all that the people who don’t know Christ can find meaningful about the day, but we have so much more to be excited about. He’s alive!  

I’m not saying there is anything wrong with celebrating the arrival of spring and the new life it brings to the world. I like flowered hats and new suits, candy, decorated eggs, bunny rabbits, and sumptuous family dinners as much as anyone else. I just think we need to be careful to model for our children, our friends, and our family members that HE is our highest priority–not just in this season but year-round. As we seek His face through prayer, He will show us how to do this with sensitivity.

Taking time to truly reflect on the amazing truth of redemption will transform our lives and reorder the priorities of our hearts. It will make us more humble, more grateful, and more excited about the blessings we enjoy because of Him. We can’t flippantly remember what it cost Christ to buy us back and defeat every enemy separating us from our Father. It’s a time for self-examination and giving our lives afresh to Him and His purposes in the world.

Yet, it’s not a time to be sober or depressed. Like Rachel, an appropriate response is joy because we have been set free. Former prisoners dance for joy when they are let out of their cells and can enjoy the simple pleasures of an unfettered life. And that is what we were … prisoners to sin and death. Now in Christ, we’ve been set free and He wants us to be glad about that. As the old Charles Wesley hymn said, “Arise my soul, arise! Shake off thy guilty fears. The bleeding Sacrifice on my behalf appears. Before the throne my Surety stands, before the throne my Surety stands; my name is written on His hands.”

Jesus has paid for our debt of sin and He stands ready to provide everything we will need to enjoy fellowship with the Father and to enter into heaven clothed in His righteousness. He deserves our undivided attention at Easter. Take time to remember Him and all His sacrifice means in your life. Don’t rush in and rush out of worship opportunities during Easter week, eager to do something more carefree and familiar. Take your sandals off and listen carefully because your encounter with the living God during this special season may very well change everything.

I’ll close with the hymn that was instrumental in bringing Fanny Crosby, the great gospel songwriter, to the Lord. I pray it will prepare our hearts for the glorious holy-ground celebration of Easter.