Another Easter season has come and gone. It’s Easter Monday (yes, that’s really a thing) as I write this, and I thought it might be a good time to share a few thoughts about the meaning and significance of the season as I understand it.

These ideas really crystallized in my mind as I was driving home from a ministry appointment on Good Friday afternoon, searching for something meaningful to listen to on the radio—yes, even Christian radio—as the traffic raced past me. How many of these people, I wondered as I watched the cars, even know that today is Good Friday? More importantly—how many people in our churches remember that it is Good Friday?

I realize, by the way, that some will object to my use of the term Easter, and that’s fine. In fact, I’ve trained myself to default to talking mostly about Resurrection Sunday, at least from the pulpit. There’s uncertainty about the historical development of the term Easter, and some avoid it for this reason. But I will use it here for the sake of simplicity.

So, speaking of Easter—or, really, the entire Passion season—let me say this: I do not think we make nearly enough of its importance! I am referencing here our fundamentalist, conservative evangelical, or dispensational circles, however you would like to describe them. Compare, for instance, our celebrations of Christmas and Easter, the two most prominent holidays on our Christian calendar.

I have seen churches begin their preparations for the Christmas season at least as early as September. Then, some of us listen to Christmas music easily into January. That covers nearly half of the year! We, in our tradition, make as much of Christmas as pretty much anyone does in the Christian world, broadly speaking—with the exception, perhaps, that many in our circles do not observe Advent (at least by its name).

Consider our preparations for Easter by way of contrast. Many devote just one day to it! That’s all. Yet, Biblically, may I ask, where do we find the emphasis placed—on the birth of Christ or on His death and resurrection (see Rom. 1:4; 6:3-4; 1 Cor. 15:3-4)?

Since joining the ranks of fundamentalism more than 35 years ago, I have sensed a hesitancy to put too much emphasis on Easter (as well as the days leading up to it). It has often appeared to me that this attitude grows out of a concern with being too closely identified with anything resembling the practice of Lent—or anyone who engages in it.

Lent, in this line of thinking, is associated mostly with the unbiblical extremes of the Roman Catholic Church—and, perhaps, secondarily with the concept of ecumenical or community-wide services. The experience that I had with Lent growing up in confessional Lutheranism, however, was radically different than either of these. It is also not generally understood by my fundamentalist brethren. Be all that as it may, I realize there are still some troubling aspects tied into the history of Lent—and I am certainly not advocating for it to be instituted in our churches.

But here is the point I am driving at: If their association with Lent prevents us from remembering the importance of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, then why are we free to celebrate Easter Sunday at all? It’s also part of the Passion Week—all of which is set forth on the church calendar. Is it only because the culture still celebrates Easter (to some minor extent) that we observe it in our churches? If we do not have the liberty to remember Good Friday, what is our rationale for participating in Easter … or, for that matter, even Christmas?

And how can you truly proclaim and celebrate the resurrection on Easter Sunday morning with zero amount of preparation—taking time to meditate, at the very least, on the events that preceded it, most notably on Good Friday?

I propose that we take Lent out of the equation but begin to emphasize Passion Week on a whole new level. I submit that it should receive at least as much of our energy and attention as the Christmas season does.

Of course, many congregations are already on this course, and I commend them for it. Yet, it really pains me that this is still a rather novel concept for many in our realm.

Since I began serving with The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry and have learned to share Passover Seder demonstrations, I have seen how this can be a wonderful way to prepare a congregation for the celebration of Easter—whether the Seder is presented during Passion Week, or even before. Perhaps that would be a good way for your congregation to begin next year.

After all, God must love spring holidays—since He gave the children of Israel four of them (see Lev. 23:4-22)!

This Passion season continues for me personally, as I will still be doing at least two more Passover Seder demonstrations—and that’s fine with me, too.

So, even on this Easter Monday, I’m not ashamed to say it: Happy Easter!

***

Paul J. Scharf (M.A., M.Div., Faith Baptist Theological Seminary) is a church ministries representative for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, based in Columbus, WI, and serving in the Midwest. For more information on his ministry, visit sermonaudio.com/pscharf or foi.org/scharf, or email pscharf@foi.org.

John 10:14-18; “I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own, and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one Shepherd. For this reason, the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life, that I may take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.” (ESV – all emphasis mine)

With these few passages, Jesus put in perspective just how important to all of us His sacrifice is and showed how deep His love truly is for all of us. At any time during His ministry here on earth, He could have decided we weren’t worth His precious sinless blood, and we would be as far lost as could be.

And yes, I’m using present tense here, as the wonderful gift He provided through His crucifixion applies just as much today as that day on Golgotha nearly 2,000 years ago. He plainly states He could have changed His mind, but He knew it would affect not only God’s chosen people, the Jews, but as He stated, He had “other sheep” that He was there for as well. That would include you, me, and every human being that would receive and accept this powerful free gift from our Lord God Jehovah.

We must remember that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all a part of God. John 1:1-3; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made, that was made.”

This is where an archangel named Lucifer fell away. He was created by God, yet he had a destructive self-pride that made him believe he actually was equal to the Creator. As with us, God allows free will, but once a line is crossed, there are consequences. For Satan and his demons – fallen angels who followed him – there is no pathway to forgiveness, and their end will be in the lake of fire created for them, as given in Matthew 25:41.

For all humans, 2 Peter 3:9 tells us volumes about how our Heavenly Father loves us. “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” No one has sinned so greatly that they cannot be forgiven as long as they’re still alive on this earth.

John 3:16-17 tells us how much God loves us, in that He sent a special part of Himself so there would be a pathway to Salvation available for every human on earth.

The stipulations are not difficult, but sadly, many would rather choose the world and what Satan tempts them with than believe our Heavenly Father is real. God forces no one to accept Him, His Son, or eternity in Heaven. It is a personal choice each person must make for themselves, and Jesus knew more would be against Him than for Him (Matthew 7:13-14).

Going to John 3:18-21, “Whoever believes in Him [Jesus] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment; the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the Light so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

This fairly well covers what has been happening in the world and why the turn to the “dark side” is growing more rapidly each day. Christians are called haters because we do not accept their evil, sinful acts. We love everyone for their immortal soul, but beyond that, we seek Jesus. Our Savior suffered a most painful and humiliating death so that you and I could have a forever paradise.

Fanny Crosby wrote a hymn called “Jesus Is Tenderly Calling.” Though this wonderful author and songwriter was blind, she could “see” far more than most sighted persons. I can almost imagine when she passed from this life and into the arms of our Savior, the first that she saw was the Savior’s face welcoming a beautiful soul Home.

1.) Jesus is tenderly calling thee home – calling today, calling today. Why from the sunshine of love wilt thou roam, farther and farther away.

Ref.) Calling today, calling today, Jesus is calling, is tenderly calling today.

2.) Jesus is calling the weary to rest – calling today, calling today. Bring Him thy burden, and thou shalt be blessed. He will not turn thee away.

3.) Jesus is waiting, O come to Him now; waiting today, waiting today. Come with thy sins at His feet lowly bow; come and no longer delay.

4.) Jesus is pleading, O list to His voice; hear Him today, hear Him today. They who believe on His name shall rejoice; quickly arise and away.

With all that we’re experiencing on this earth today compared to just a few years ago, it’s obvious we’re heading toward some major issues. Changing weather patterns, earthquakes in various places, volcanoes, violence, increased perverted ways, and just pure hate are accelerating rapidly.

Again, in Luke 21:28, Jesus said when all these things begin to happen, He’s close to coming for us. We don’t know exactly when the cry from the archangel and the sound from the Trumpet of God will be, but with each passing day, we’re closer to seeing the Savior.

That is, those who have received and accepted His free gift of Salvation. Romans 10:9-13 says to confess our sins, believe Jesus is God’s Son who died for us and was raised to conquer sin and death, and all who call on Him will be saved.

All who don’t will, at the very least, go through the most terrible time this earth has ever seen over a seven-year period of time.

Jesus is calling, and He will turn no one away who truly seeks Him. No, He may not be here today or tomorrow, or next week, but if He does come by then, it would be to everyone’s advantage to have Him as Savior and rise up to meet Him in the air.

There are no other options, as false prophets may try to tell you. Choose Jesus today, and you will be “Rapture Ready” when the call comes.

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