The Easter Lamb

 

And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:17-21 ESV).

 

Of all Easter symbols, the lamb is probably the most strongly Christian. Other than the fact that lambs are young animals born in springtime, it has no strong ties to pagan traditions. The lamb reference comes from the Jewish Passover, where each family killed a lamb as a sacrifice. When Christ became the Passover Lamb for everyone, the lamb became a symbol for His sacrifice. The Apostle John records the declaration of John the Baptist as he saw Jesus coming toward him: "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).

 

Easter has a clear connection with the Passover. The day before his crucifixion, Jesus observed Passover with his disciples. This event is often called “the Last Supper,” as it would be the last time before Jesus’ death and resurrection that He would eat a meal with the disciples. While they had gathered for the Jewish Passover Meal, Jesus would enhance the meaning of this holy day with an explanation of the coming events of the crucifixion and resurrection. Remember that Passover was the time that Jews remember their freedom and exodus from Egypt. During this Passover feast, Jesus told his disciples that the bread symbolizes his body that would be broken and the wine, his blood, which would be poured out for the forgiveness of sins (cf. Matthew 26:17-30).

 

At this time in the Christian calendar, it is important that we remember the sacrificial nature of Jesus’ death and the victory of the resurrection. All of this was done to pay the debt we could never pay and die the death we all deserved. Jesus was that Lamb of God who took away the sins of all believers for eternity. His work was a finished work needing nothing else. That is what we celebrate. The Easter Lamb is a reminder to all of us!

 

The Easter Lily

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that bit did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:1-3 ESV).

 

Continuing our foray into the symbols of Easter we are going to focus on Easter Lilies today. Lilies are native to Japan and were brought to England in 1777, but wound their way to the U.S. in the wake of World War I. While lilies are mentioned by Jesus in the New Testament (cf. Luke 12:27), there is no direct correlation to the resurrection. As is true with most of our traditions and symbols, the lily wouldn’t become such a traditional symbol until the 18^th Century. However, there are some very clear things about this flowering plant that remind us of the work of God in the resurrection.

 

Easter lilies, particularly their pure white color and trumpet shape, symbolize purity, rebirth, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, making them a fitting choice for Easter celebrations and church decorations. The white color of the Easter lily is a strong symbol of purity and innocence, often associated with the purity of Christ. The Easter lily's growth from a bulb buried in the ground, blossoming into a beautiful flower, is a visual representation of rebirth and new life, echoing the key tenet of Christianity in the resurrection. The trumpet shape of the Easter lily is said to represent a trumpet sounding the message that Jesus has risen, symbolizing hope and eternal life.

 

Our reading today emphasizes the result of the purity of Jesus and how that is passed on to believers. The Apostle John says, “And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure” (v. 3). The essential meaning for us is in the truth that because of this substitutionary element of Jesus’ resurrection is much more than the gift of eternal life. That, of course, is a wonder; however, to create in us the purity of God’s intention means we are made fit for heaven and the eternal presence of God. It returns us to the state of humanity before the sin of Adam and Eve. Can you imagine a state of being better than that! Now we really can walk with Him and talk to Him! The Easter Lily is a reminder of that truth.

  

The Easter Bunny

 

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:16-19 ESV).

 

It's always a bit interesting when a preacher uses the symbols of Easter to illustrate a passage like our reading today. However, as you may have surmised by reading Morning Devotionals, I am not the kind of preacher that shies away from a challenge! Today’s reading from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Corinthians is one that emphasizes the incredible miracle that comes through the work of Jesus. He says, “the old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (v. 17). It is emphatically declaring the new life that is ours in Christ. And that is the principle woven into the tradition of the Easter Bunny by the ancient Church.

 

The Bible makes no mention of a long-eared, short-tailed creature who delivers decorated eggs to well-behaved children on Easter Sunday; nevertheless, the Easter bunny has become a prominent symbol of Christianity’s most important holiday. The exact origins of this mythical mammal are unclear, but rabbits, known to be prolific procreators, are an ancient symbol of fertility and new life. According to many sources, the Easter bunny first arrived in America in the 1700s with German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania and transported their tradition of an egg-laying hare called “Osterhase” or “Oschter Haws.” Their children made nests in which this creature could lay its colored eggs. Eventually, the custom spread across the United States and the fabled rabbit’s Easter morning deliveries expanded to include chocolate and other types of candy and gifts, while decorated baskets replaced nests. Additionally, children often left out carrots for the bunny in case he got hungry from all his hopping.

 

Of course, this is more myth than truth; although the focus is correct. In their effort to teach their children the incredible truth of new life in Christ, they appropriated the understanding of the prolific ability of rabbits to bring life into the world. The life generated from a pair of rabbits is temporary; the life Jesus grants to His followers is eternal. Without getting stuck on the symbol, I hope you can see that great truth. Our old way of life was death; our new way of life is an eternity of blessedness in the presence of God! That’s the whole point of the resurrection!

 

Easter Eggs

 

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes. (John 20:1-19 ESV).

 

We have so many traditions and symbols surrounding Easter. Often, they have been scoffed at, if not outright rejected. We’ll look at a few of these in the coming days to attempt to explain some of the development and validity of these symbols. The first is the Easter Egg.

 

In Christianity, Easter eggs symbolize the empty tomb of Jesus, from which he resurrected, and represent new life and rebirth, drawing on ancient pagan traditions of eggs as symbols of fertility and the reawakening of nature. Eggs have long been associated with fertility, new life, and the renewal of nature, especially during springtime. In Christianity, Easter eggs are seen as a visual representation of Jesus' resurrection, with the eggshell symbolizing the empty tomb from which Jesus emerged. Further, the color of the decorated egg is also symbolic. In some Orthodox traditions, eggs are painted red to symbolize the blood of Christ shed on the cross.

 

During Lent, Christians traditionally abstain from certain foods, including eggs, and the celebration of Easter marks the end of this period, with eggs becoming a special treat and symbol of the resurrection. I like the tradition of Easter egg hunts too. They may have origins in the 16th century, with Martin Luther organizing egg hunts for his congregation, where men would hide eggs for women and children to find, symbolizing the joy of finding the empty tomb. The egg is also a symbol of death and resurrection.

The egg can be seen as a symbol of the sealed tomb from which Christ emerged after his resurrection, just as the chick emerges from the closed egg. However you observe Easter, celebrate the new life and hope of eternity with Jesus that comes with it!

What Difference Does Easter Make? - Pt. 7

 

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having fa righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:8-11 ESV).

 

The last of the differences that Easter makes in our lives is that the resurrection gives us the power to persevere through the sufferings of this world. In union with the risen Christ, there is a new power to suffer with Jesus. In our reading today, the Apostle Paul has listed some of the things he had experienced in his pursuit of the calling of Jesus. He was beaten, stoned, and shipwrecked, yet he comes to this conclusion that with the power of Christ he could “…know him and the power of his resurrection” (v. 10). All of this allowed him to share in the sufferings of Jesus, “… becoming like him in his death.”

 

If you are like me, you have never been beaten because of your faith in Christ; nor have you been stoned because of your profession of Christ; and, certainly you have not been shipwrecked as a result of your following Jesus. However, again, if you are like me, there have been those times when it felt like a beating, or appeared like an execution by stoning. I know there have been some of those experiences when it really felt like you had been shipwrecked and left to starve on a deserted island.

 

It is at these times when it is easy to simply quot. The strength to take one more step is far from imaginable. Well, we have power to suffer well with Jesus; a new security and confidence of hope; a new, unshakable, glorious identity; a new present friend helping us all the time, all the way home; a new power for holiness and love; a new power to suffer with Jesus. And so we say this Easter season, “The Lord is risen.” He is risen indeed. And so in him are we!

 

What Difference Does Easter Make? - Pt. 6

 

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For zone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:5-11 ESV).

 

The fourth result of the resurrection is that we now possess the power to live righteously. The Apostle Paul calls this “newness of life” (v. 4). In union with the risen Christ, there is new power for defeating sin and walking in righteousness. And the key text is our reading today; indeed, just about the whole chapter and the first part of chapter 7 are all about this. He writes, “Just as Christ was raised from the dead, we too walk in newness of life.” This is a right now benefit, not just later.

 

Springtime in Texas is always an interesting mix of the experience of beauty and the dread of storm. The wildflowers have already begun to bloom. Our roadsides and fields are full of bluebonnets, paintbrushes, and other beautiful flowers. However, we also contend with the possibility of extreme thunderstorms containing cells of hail, high winds, or tornadoes. In our part of the state we always welcome the rain, but the dangerous weather that usually accompanies it is unsettling at times.

 

Our spiritual journey is sometimes like that. Temptation to sin is always lurking at the edge of the beauty of our path. We still live in a fallen world without the perfection of the rule of Christ. However, Jesus has already begun the work of perfection in our lives. We are now empowered to resist these destructive temptations. Consider the resurrection as your “safe place” in the midst of the storm. The storm still comes, but it cannot harm us when we seek shelter in Him. This is what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote: “Do not present your members [that is, your tongue, your arms, your legs, your sexual organs, your eyes, your ears] to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life.” (v. 13). So, in union with the risen Christ, we have a new power for holiness and love.

 

What difference Does Easter Make? - Pt. 5

 

[Jesus said] “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me swill be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (John 14:18-21 ESV).

 

The third result of the resurrection is that we now experience unceasing help. Perhaps your life has been different than mine. I have found myself in circumstances when I had no control over the outcome and felt like I was “at the end of my rope”! Common wisdom would tell us to “tie a knot on the end and hold on.” Well, when I’m at the end of the rope, I’m usually dangling over certain destruction, clinging to the rope with both hands. I’m certainly not going to try and take my hands off the rope to tie a knot! Besides, even with a knot on the end, I’m still dangling over certain destruction. Our reading today gives us another perspective… let go of the rope! It won’t save you anyway. Only Jesus can do that. And, He has promised to do so!

 

In union with the risen Christ, we have a new, living, present friend helping us all the time. Jesus said to his disciples before he died, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (v. 18). And at the end of the Gospel of Matthew, in the very last verse, Jesus says, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). So, we experience the presence of the risen Christ by his Spirit, the Holy Spirit. “Your true identity is hidden with Christ in God, and it will be manifest in spectacular glory at his coming.”

 

In John 7:39, before Jesus died and rose, John describes how the Spirit had not yet been given because Jesus was not yet glorified, not yet raised and glorified. Now, I think what he meant was not that the Holy Spirit was not at work in the world before the resurrection of Jesus, but that the Spirit had not been revealed or experienced or known as the Spirit of the risen Christ himself. That’s what’s new. That’s our Christian privilege: the risen Christ is in us, with us as our friend, our helper, all the time, all the way home. We don’t need a rope… we need Jesus!

 

What Difference Does Easter Make? - Pt. 4

 

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4 ESV).

 

The second result we experience of being joined with Christ in the resurrection is that we receive a new identity. You may remember that I recently had eye surgery to remove the cataracts that had developed over the years. With the new lenses implanted I now have 20/20 vision and do not require any prescriptive correction. I no longer wear glasses! That hasn’t been the case since I was ten years old! So far, the reaction to the “new look” has been universally unsettling for most people. In fact, Mary is not sure she can get used to me without glasses! She suggested I get the optometrist to just give me glasses with no correction so I won’t look different (LOL!). I will admit I am still getting used to not wearing them. Sometimes I’ll catch myself reaching up toward my eyes in an unconscious effort to adjust glasses that aren’t there any longer. I have a new identity of sorts.

 

Well, we have a new, unshakable, glorious identity in Christ. The world looks at us after our conversion to Christ, and outwardly there’s nothing very spectacular. We’re not really physically different. Our true life is hidden. You are a son of God. Let that sink in… we are a son of God. Yet, that heritage is hidden. Listen again to the Apostle Paul: “You have died, and your life is hidden with Christ [the risen Christ] in God” (vv. 3-4). That’s where you are; that’s who you are. “When Christ who is your life appears, then you also [the real you] will appear.” That is, you will be finally manifested to the world. You will be glorious just as He is glorious! To the church in Corinth, Paul says: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV).

 

So, in union with the risen Christ, you are not a mere mortal. Your true identity as a child of God is hidden with Christ in God now… but then it will be manifest in spectacular glory at his coming!

 

What Difference Does Easter Make? - Pt. 3

 

Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. (John 11:17-26 ESV).

 

There are at least five specific results of our being joined with the Risen Christ. I am going to just write about one of these in each of the next five days. These are very personal to each of us as we face life and its challenges. However, the certainty of our own future resurrection results in the same experience. First, we share in Christ’s indestructible life. Believe me when I write that I am well aware of how unbelievable that statement seems. As I have aged, I have discovered how fragile my body is becoming with each passing day.

 

However, we cannot deny the new security and confidence of hope in our lives that comes with the truth of our reading today. Christians are, in a profound sense, immortal. We will never see the full destructive power of death. Listen to Jesus again as he speaks to the grief-stricken sister of Lazarus: “I am the resurrection and the life… everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25–26). There is is… we shall never die!

 

The effect of this certainty in the future is to make our present experience in this world joyful. It is a joyful freedom from fear and a full security, confidence, and hope. Here’s what the Apostle Peter said: “[God] caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).  All of us know there’s a world of difference between living right now in despair, uncertainty, insecurity, and fear or, on the other hand, living right now in security, in confidence, hope, joy, and freedom from fear because we share an indestructible life. This is the result of sharing the fullness of the resurrection life of Jesus. That’s the first effect of Christ’s resurrection on our present experience. There are four more!

 

What Difference Does Easter Make? - Pt. 2

 

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6:1-5 ESV).

 

Those of you who have known me for any length of time also know my “go-to” portion of the Bible for theology is the letter of the Apostle Paul to the Roman believers. Our reading today comes from that book. It starts by teaching us that what happened to us in our conversion to Christ, in our new birth, is that by faith we were spiritually united to Jesus Christ. God established a bond, a union — a living, unbreakable attachment — to Jesus Christ, and the point of this union, this bond, was that Christ’s death and Christ’s resurrection would count as our death and our resurrection.

 

And the key verse of our reading today is “If we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (v. 5). I can imagine there would be listeners who say, “Whoa, okay, you say we’re united; I don’t know where to look in my experience for that.” If you ask, “How do I personally experience a union with Christ in his death, in his resurrection?” the biblical answer is: by faith in Christ. When the Holy Spirit brings about your embrace of Christ — your believing in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and Treasure of your life — that is his way of establishing the union between you and the risen Christ.

 

The Apostle Paul explains this even more in his letter to the Galatians when he writes, “I have been crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20). So, there’s the union. I have been united with Christ in his dying. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ [the risen Christ] who lives in me.” And now, here comes the conscious experience of that as Paul describes it: “And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.” So, by faith, power of God is transferred into our lives through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That secures our future resurrection. “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies” (Romans 8:11). So, if Christ is in you now, if the risen Christ is dwelling in you now, you will be raised from the dead. There is the great truth that enables us to face every experience in life with the attitude of an overcomer. Even death has no hold over us any longer. Jesus conquered death and so shall we!

 

The answer to the often asked question, “What’s the worst that can happen?” is not “They can kill you.” Go ahead… kill me… you will only open the door for me to enter into heaven! That’s the difference the resurrection makes!