Black Friday
Every year, Christmas generates over $400 billion of economic activity, with a large percentage of that being spent the day after Thanksgiving, “Black Friday.” The frenzy continues until by the time Christmas gets here, most of us have lost our sanity and our savings.

Good Friday
Then there is Easter. Easter week often begins on Palm Sunday, and leads up to Good Friday, which is the day most people believe Jesus was crucified. Then a few days later, we celebrate Easter, also called Resurrection Sunday, as the day that Jesus rose from the dead. Though Easter week is about the Resurrection of Jesus, the death of Jesus is what makes it all possible.

Interestingly enough, very little money is spent for Easter. Very little decorating is done. Maybe a few lilies are bought and eggs are decorated, but other than that, it shares none of the frantic activity that Christmas does.

Birth Of Jesus
Do you realize that in Scripture, there isn’t very much mentioned about the birth of Jesus? Oh sure, Matthew talks about it, and Luke gives it some room, but other than those two Gospels, it’s as if nobody cares about it. No other author mentions the virgin birth. Of course, the details are critical, crucial and necessary to the story of Jesus. Still, the star stops shining. The wise men disappear from the stage.

Empty Tomb
If I could change one thing about the church’s annual calendar, I would do away with the overemphasis on Christmas, and put Easter in its proper place of importance. I think that if the truth of the resurrection of Jesus grabs hold of our minds, it can radically change, challenge, and inspire us in the same way it did for the early believers. For you see, without Easter, Christmas, even Christ’s death on the cross, would lose its meaning.

Let’s celebrate our risen Lord this week!