Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Mar/83

Contributor - Rev. Abram Blaak

Title - Easter Meditation

Topic - Easter

EASTER! Of all the Christian days of celebration, I find Easter has the greatest significance. The Son of GOD, smitten and slain for the sins of mankind, rising from death. The earth shook greatly when the true Messiah of the world rose from the death that man had sentenced Him to. Redemption is complete. CHRIST is the victor. He has conquered hell and death. Satan has lost the struggle to defeat the Almighty GOD and His CHRIST.

At the grave, once the symbol for death, the angel tells the women not to seek the living amongst the dead. The Crucified One is no longer in that dark cavern where He was laid three days ago. He is alive. 0, sounds of joy. Jesus is alive! He is risen! Halleluiah! Praise to the Almighty for the resurrection of His Son!

Somehow, Easter has lost a lot of its meaning, not only in the world, but also in the Church. Somewhere along the line, Christians have lost sight of the empty tomb. There are those who do not hear the women crying aloud to the disciples, "Jesus is alive, He is risen just as He said He would". There is missing the celebration of the disciples in the upper room where they are hiding when all at once Jesus stands among them. The joy seems to have disappeared.

Have you ever stopped to wonder what went wrong? Why is Easter not the joyful time in the Church and in our lives that it should be? Have we stopped believing in a resurrected CHRIST? I greatly doubt that, but, where has the joy of Easter gone?

I wonder, if sometimes we focus too much on trying to be good Christians, and have stopped focusing on the CHRIST. Or it might be that we are not able to get beyond Jesus on the cross, so that we never move with Him to the empty grave. It is true that without the sacrifice, the resurrection means nothing. But the opposite is equally true, the sacrifice on the cross means nothing without the resurrection. They belong to each other, one cannot exist without the other. We may never forget that. GOD's purpose is to bring joy out of suffering, and light out of darkness. But greater still, life from death.

I am convinced that the Church of Jesus CHRIST may be called the Easter People. We live in the light, the joy, the wonder of the empty grave. There is no need for us to be so somber. Jesus rose from the dead for us. We do not have to deal with all the enemies that CHRIST has defeated on our behalf. We no longer need to live under the pressure that Satan so willingly gives us that we fear death and the grave. When we are fearful, then we cannot feel the joy of the risen CHRIST in our lives.

Nor do we live under the law, but under grace. The righteousness of CHRIST has become the believer's. The only reason that this can be is that Jesus died and IS ALIVE!

The people of God are CHRIST'S. They belong to Him, and will become just like unto Him. The fact of the resurrection of Jesus brings to me the joy of the knowledge that I too will become alive again. That joy is mine, right now! I have GOD's word on it!

Paul writes (I Cor. 15:20 - 28) that Christ is the first fruit of those who have fallen asleep. As all men die in the sin of Adam, so in CHRIST the believers have the resurrection from the dead. In CHRIST our victory is won. We no longer fight the battle, it is over and it is won.

That is the joy of Easter for Easter People. The fact that Jesus is alive is the source of all the singing and the true joy of the Christian. As Easter People, why don't we get the glum looks off our faces and rejoice. May our lives, our homes and our churches resound with the joyous sound: "The strife is o'er, the battle done; The victory of life is won; The song of triumph has begun. Alleluia!"

May the Almighty GOD fill our Easter with His great joy - for Jesus is risen!

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