With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all. (Acts 4:33)
I consider myself very fortunate. I didn’t realize it until tonight. We were having our Wednesday evening prayer time at church — where we actually pray. As I bowed my head, along with two other dear sisters in Christ (we let the men pray in their own group), I realized that we have a wonderful blessing in our church.
Not only do we get to celebrate Easter once, but twice! This coming Sunday will be the protestant date for celebration. Our children will do a play and sing. We’ll enjoy the Lord’s Supper together and worship.
Then we get to do it all again next week!
When you live and worship with peoples of mixed cultures, you get to take advantage of multiple holidays. We have two Mother’s Days, Christmases, and Easter, with a few other things thrown in. I’d taken all this in stride after living among the nations for 30+ years, but it struck me differently tonight, for some reason.
We’d been discussing the various services to take place within the next two weeks, and we called it “First Easter” and “Second Easter”. We laughed at the idea, but later, when I bowed my head to pray, the Spirit pricked my heart.
We have the privilege of celebrating Easter EVERY DAY! Though we try and hold that special commemoration on an annual basis, it’s not the date that matters; no, it’s what changed in my life (and yours, I trust) because of what Christ did.
He rose from the grave, and everything changed! Why did the apostles continue to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus? Because that’s what mattered most. Without the resurrection, there is no salvation, no hope, no redemption from sin. The empty tomb counts, and it counts every day!
Resurrection day for me came when I was eight years old, not the official “Easter Sunday” but actually, on a Saturday night, at home with my parents. That’s when I asked Jesus to come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior.
So, I’m happy to “have” to celebrate Easter two weeks in a row (it changes every year, which keeps it exciting), because it is worth celebrating! We should be coming to church in our Sunday best and Easter bonnets every day of the week to give glory and praise to the One who conquered death for us.
When we testify to the resurrection of Christ, God’s grace works its power through us. People are drawn to the joy of Easter, because through the Christ of Easter, we have a reason to rejoice.
So, celebrate this Sunday, and if you haven’t had enough, celebrate again the next week, and the next, and the next. It’s good preparation for Heaven, after all!
He is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!
Grace and Peace
Thank you, Carol, for this beautiful post filled with truth, hope, and so much encouragement. We should celebrate the resurrection of our Lord everyday! Wishing you a joyous Easter!
Blessings to you, Nancy, on this Easter weekend! Thank you, as always, for your encouragement.
We do get the privilege of living out Gods redeeming work on the cross. Thanks for the reminder .
Thank you, Laura, for the encouragement. Blessings to you for a Happy Easter.