We celebrate Easter because a man named Jesus was raised from the dead.
A man…
was raised…
from the dead…
Seriously. Let that sink in for a second. You could drop golden eggs from a helicopter and it wouldn’t compare to this. Give away a Lexus with wheels decked out in diamonds and it doesn’t compare to a man raised from the dead. Go ahead and promise ninja swords and a date with a supermodel for all the single guys, and it doesn’t compare to a resurrection.
And Easter isn’t just about any ol’ resurrection. It’s the resurrection of Jesus the Son of God! Which means that God the Father has accepted the payment which Christ made on the Cross. It means that “It is finished”. The Son takes assumes His rightful place at the right hand of the Father and sits down because He has done what is necessary to redeem His bride. The resurrection proclaims this.
This even assures your future resurrection. When Jesus rose from the dead on that first Easter he was doing something that is a precursor to what will happen with us. We too shall be raised from the dead. Death has lost its sting. It no longer has victory. Jesus does. His resurrection seals that.
So here is my position. When all of that becomes boring. I’ll do an Easter giveaway.
But it isn’t boring. And will never be boring! From now into all of eternity. And so I’m not about to cheapen the beauty and wonder of the resurrection and pretend like the best news I’ve got to tell you is that you can win something by coming to our church. If news of a resurrected man isn’t enough to get you to haul your dilapidating carcass out of bed in the morning to worship the risen Savior, winning a new television isn’t going to suddenly inspire you to cast down all your trinkets and follow a bloody-cross Messiah.
If this sole reason isn’t enough consider these ten other reasons Jared Wilson has put together about why Easter giveaways are a bad idea. They aren’t just morally neutral or cute little ideas they are antithetical to the gospel.
Just ask yourself, what have I come to believe about the gospel if news of a resurrected man isn’t my “hook” but I need something a little more jazzy to get lost people into my church?
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Photo source: here
