Why do we celebrate Easter?

Easter is a fun holiday full of the excitement and bright colors of Spring, visits from the Easter bunny, the thrill of an Easter egg hunt, and delicious treats and meals with family. But besides the ways that we celebrate, what is the point of Easter?

Pastor Adam Martin breaks it down and explains why we celebrate Easter and the story of the selfless act of love behind it.

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Transcript:
Have you ever wondered why we celebrate Easter? I recently saw an article that was titled, Easter, the greatest lie ever told. And I couldn't help but be a little bit offended, because what we celebrate at Easter has had such a profound impact on my life. But then I remembered there was a time when Easter wasn't very important to me. I grew up with great parents, but we were not the kind of family that went to church, not even at Easter. So learning about the significance of Easter was all very new to me. The fact that a middle-aged Jewish man chose to endure a horrible punishment in my place, it kind of blew my mind. And as I learned more about it, I began to realize that Easter explains everything about our faith. Don't get me wrong, I still had all kinds of questions, even doubts, but I knew that this event had somehow changed everything for me. Imagine you were in tremendous debt. Home, car, student loans, medical bills. Unfortunately, most people don't have to imagine it. It's a reality. Now imagine if someone you'd never met gave you a million dollars. How might that change your situation? And how would you respond to that person? You would probably want to meet them, to make sure it wasn't some mistake or a twisted joke. And you would probably wonder why they did it. What made them think you were worthy of such a gift? At a minimum, you probably would want to thank them. And that's what we're doing at Easter. We're coming together to say thank you. To acknowledge a gift that was given. A gift that would settle a debt we could never repay. And let's be honest, a million dollars is a lot of money. And it would likely make a big difference in your debt situation. But the debt that was repaid for us at the cross is immeasurably more valuable. Because it doesn't just change our current situation, it changes our eternity. There's something else worth noticing about the transaction that took place at the resurrection. Because that's what it was. Jesus got the punishment we deserved, and we were given the honor Jesus deserved. But think about it from His perspective for just a moment. What is the only thing Jesus had after the cross that He didn't have before the cross? It was us. It was you and me. At the cross, He purchased our salvation with His own life. And it gave Him joy to do it. Paul reminds us that for the joy that was set before Him, He endured the cross. To Jesus, this was a worthwhile trade. His sacrifice for our salvation. If you've ever wondered how God feels about you, all you have to do is look at the cross. Because that's where He showed us what we mean to Him. So this Easter, we invite you to join us. Come by yourself or with your family or with your friends. Come with your questions or your confusion or even your doubts. But come. Come and be reminded of the value God placed on you 2,000 years ago. Because while Easter is about Jesus, it's also about you.