renting a stadium so a megachurch can have a consolidated Easter celebration service, or having an intimate sunrise service in the park; it is the resurrection, and not any technology wizardry, that makes it all possible.
Despite all that may go into an Easter service or special production, at the core should always be a focus on the resurrection and why we are doing what we are doing. It is very easy to be caught up in the details, and while we may deliver an outstanding production, I’m not sure that Jesus is as interested in our production value as much as He is in our heart value and what we are personally learning and how we are individually growing through the Easter production process. Jesus didn’t die and rise again just so we could put on a fancy production. He didn’t die and rise again so we could show off our technical ability or how good we are or how cool our gadgets are. He died and rose again so that we could have a personal relationship with Him. That, and that alone, gives us the reason and motivation to make Easter special and use the resurrection to its maximum potential to reach our community with the gospel message.
Let’s not get so caught up in the details of celebrating Easter that we forget what we are celebrating and why it matters. While it may be rather complicated to figure out those details, Easter is the reason we are celebrating and its importance is not complicated and should always be the focus of all we do this Easter season.
He is Risen! He is risen indeed! Jonathan Smith is the Director of Technology at Faith Ministries in Lafayette, Indiana. You can reach Jonathan at jsmith@faithlafayette.org and also follow him on Twitter @JonathanESmith.
“I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave. Revelation 1:17-18 (NLT)
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