so what's the deal with Easter?

a long weekend
a break
easter bunnies
chocolate eggs
some religious thing..

those are some elements that pop to mind for people when easter comes and goes. But how did it start? Is it just another Hallmark holiday, do buy into the cards and gifts of consumer goods for everyone? or is that just what it has turned into >.>

anywho, I'll try to give some insight into what Easter means and its origins.

Easter is a Christian related celebration/weekend that reflects the last days of Jesus Christ (son of God, who was completely man and God at the same time) walk on earth. Being fully man he suffered like us, endured hardship and is able to relate to us. Being fully God at the same time, rendered him abilities such as divine insight, healing, purity - he was without blemish/sin/wrong doing. Fascinating. (not something everyone agrees upon but I'm sharing the story of Christ for who is was and is and ever will be)

What was the deal for God having to come down to earth as Christ to greet and meet us or the people back in the day 2000 years ago. He could have just stayed in the heavenly realms and let us be, kinda like the human concept of some supreme being set this world into motion and forgot about us or just starred through his magnificent microscope at the pitiful human race for his own amusement. But the God revealed to us in the Bible was not like this.

In the beginning he created the world with care, thought, love and a particular order, creating man in his own image having dominion over the animals and land before resting on the seventh day. He created pretty much paradise and best still Adam and Eve (the two/first humans at the time) were able to enjoy this wonderful place in the presence of God himself! Just wow. imagine that. God just walking up to you a physical presence going, hey how's it going? That's goes the gist of Genesis 1-2.

They were able to take and eat of everything in this garden but from a particular tree. God created them intelligent beings with free will to make that choice and honor Him. Sadly, of course, we didn't heed to his advice and ate of that fruit of that particular tree, and were cast out of this garden. We clearly are no longer in paradise. Sin entered the world, meaning just rebellion against God and our distance against/from God. The world we live in, isn't such a pretty place, mainly because humans fail, greed, jealous, lack of love for each other and nature etc etc. Corruption is everywhere and no on is perfect, we can't help it. Even times when we go about doing a "good" act/deeds the intentions behind such an act of sacrifice/help could boil down to self gratification. We want to others to look at us, being good, pride, attention, boastful nature ...our hearts are just filled with malice. Whether conscious or subconscious, I do am guilty of this.

It comes down everything is about me attitude, I stuffed up therefore I can fix it. You aren't relevant to me, I'll ignore you. I want this, I desire that. Life it seems revolves around "I". So, the whole old testament first half chuck of the Bible plays out a single message - that of looking forward to a Savior, to restore us to God again, back to what was "good" prior sin coming. Being so, it looks forward to Jesus coming, son of God, the only perfect one to deliver us/save us. And as we learnt earlier in the Genesis God is loving and doesn't want to see his children/us in such a state, he desires to have a relationship with us (hence putting us in his garden to be with him in the first place), so he sent Christ to pay for our sins, and that price was paid when he died for us on the cross, reflected in today's 'Good Friday' marked in our calenders.

We have to pay for our sins because there is justice. Example, we commit a crime, there is some kind of sentence. It seems in history either we take that sentence or someone else takes it for us. But no one is perfect, if another person paid for your wrong doings, then who's blood will pay for theirs? and it just keeps going in a circle. The balance of justice and love is surmounted into Christ Jesus. He was without sin, and he died for the sinful, so that we may all be set free! It was a free gift to us, he died for us even before we knew him personally to receive his gift and let him live and reign in our lives, true peace.

The story of easter doesn't end there, a Savior dying on a cross would pretty much mean the end of Christianity right there and then. Your most powerful God slain by humans, how ridiculous. Indeed, Christ was humble and went through the cross, to rise from the dead three days later. Hence our modern day easter weekend reflection. Christianity boils down to the fact that Christ did rise, he fulfilled his promises and conquered death for us.

My weekly bible study is currently going through the book of Colossians and we came across a passage that wasn't directly recounting the life of Christ's last days/Easter (like that of the four gospels, chapters Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) but it was just as relevant.

" When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." Colossians 2: 13-15

The verses encompass the message that only God can save us, and he did, for us. We have that option to choose to live a life with Christ. We are saved not because of what we bring to the table, not by our talents or good deeds or works, but by accepting the work of what Christ alone has done, his death/resurrection on the cross.
^"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2: 8-9

Paul the author of Colossians continues in v16-19.

"Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow."

Verse 16 starts off reminding us that no particular ritual or tradition or work is what saves us. "they are a shadow of the things to come" , meaning that these traditions are in itself not bad or wrong, but they shouldn't be our main focus, ie. why focus on just the shadow of the person, when they are standing right in front of you. These practice aren't necessary but they do point us to the person, that of Christ Jesus. The verses go on to paint a picture of people that disregard Christ, doing so they tend to set their world view firm in things/materials they see having lost connection to the head (a reference to Christ). The bible uses the analogue of the church ( a group of believers) as a body. Were, each person is valuable and has their part, functioning as a united whole (ideally), with Christ at the head (priority).

So the message, of Easter is a big one, of new life in Christ (salvation), freedom, joy, celebration. It's also a challenging one. Such big big concepts and changes in lifestyle are not brought about by a fluffy chicken toy or chocolate egg.

In sum, one word - Jesus

here is a link painting out the same message of salvation with images
http://bible.org/article/gods-plan-salvation