Easter Cross

Easter bunnies. Easter eggs. Easter baskets.

What about an Easter Cross?

The Easter bunny story embraces the very notion the cross came to destroy: good behavior results in good gifts. If people could be 'good enough' to gain these trinkets and toys, then, why did Jesus have to die on a cross?

This idea of being 'good enough' is placing all of our deeds on a lateral scale of comparison with others. We credit all of our successes as being better than others and our losses make us the victim of others' evil intent.

So many people spend their entire lives trying to maximize their worth through what they accomplish and what they accumulate. But if we're honest, we are never fully satisfied by such trivial pursuits. Why?

Imagine being there on 'Good Friday.' Jesus was betrayed, arrested, beaten, and eventually crucified. Family, friends, skeptics, the religious, and Roman soldiers were all in attendance. They looked with anger, doubt, fear, and cynicism as Jesus' body was crushed under the weight of Roman execution.

Yet, in the back of their minds they must have wondered if there was any merit to claims such as, "I am the Son of God," "I will rise again," and "the kingdom is coming."

You see, we were created to experience so much more than a collection of friends, foes, and fortunes. We were created to experience an intimate relationship with our heavenly Father. Our rebellion pushed Him away, but the cross became the ultimate display of God's love, mercy, and grace.

God is love. "For God so loved the world, He sent His son..." (John 3:16). Because God is love, He made a way for us to experience His love eternally through the death of His son.

God is mercy. "Mercy triumphs over judgment" (James 2:13). Because God is mercy, He did not condemn us in our rebellion but rather chose to let His wrath fall on His son that we may be forgiven.

God is grace. "Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more..." (Romans 5:20). Because God is grace, He offers us forgiveness and a life we do not deserve as a gift of His goodness.

As you celebrate Easter, remember it's not about being 'good enough.' Don't weigh your deeds on the lateral scale of comparison with others. We're not bad seeking to become good. We are dead in need of life. And the only way to experience life is to respond in faith to God's love, mercy, and grace.