Easter Happy
It's that time of year when we gather together to celebrate, remember, recall, and focus on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. There are numerous stories and accounts that we could all share of our favorite easter memories. Like many in my generation, we would celebrate Easter with that easter basket. You know the basket with that plastic grass; it just seems to multiply throughout the week after Easter. There would be a cadre of jelly beans, different easter eggs, and chocolate bunnies. I remember the "Easter Bunny" would put Hot Wheels in the Easter baskets or Star Wars figures. Those little simple things that we attributed to the secular understanding of Easter.
I remember one particular Easter when Mom, Dad, my sister, and I were there in the Middle Tennessee area. We came across a Russell Stover's candy outlet store. The store was known to shelve the candies that had mistakes. For example, some of the flowers were not just right on the pieces of candy, or the color was not the way it was supposed to be, so it was considered their mistake pieces. As a result, they were discounted at a great price.
Nonetheless, it still gave us the sugar fix and the chocolate fix and all that we wanted regarding candy. Dad realizes that there is one of those large oversized hollowed-out giant chocolate easter eggs. It had all the decorative flowers on it, but rather than having the simple message of "Happy Easter," the message on the egg had reversed the words and said "Easter Happy." I remember my dad looking at that Easter Egg with a grin on his face. As he approached the cashier, he said, "What's the problem with this egg? "Easter Happy" is not the wrong message. This egg is wonderful; you could put this on any one of the shelves located at any story anywhere in the Nashville area, and people would buy it. She very innocently looked at him. "Well, Sir, it was meant to say "Happy Easter" and not "Easter Happy." So we've reduced the price for you; you're welcome to go ahead and purchase it. He said, "But it's the very aspect of Easter that makes me happy, so this is not a mistake.
Friends, I remember sitting there watching my dad do that, and you know He was correct. The resurrection is accurate, and it calls us to turn our lives over to the Lord Jesus Christ. As followers of Jesus, we have come to this day, this day being Easter or Resurrection Sunday, filled with celebration and hope in the promise of God. Yet, this day does produce a great deal of skepticism for many. We hold to the belief that the Scriptures are true and the unfailing account of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We trust in the message that the Bible proclaims. The skepticism of others should not lead us as believers into fear or disbelief. Still, it should lead us to a greater appreciation for the Gospel that has changed everything about our lives.
So why do we celebrate Easter? It's so much more than the grass, jelly beans, and candy. We celebrate Easter because it makes us happy. The tomb was empty, Christ is alive, and as a result, we should all proclaim "Easter Happy!"