Growing up, Easter was a very typical holiday for my family. Just like many othe families in my neighborhood. We’d get some new clothes for a sunrise service at church, hunt easter eggs, devour too many chocolate bunnies, and maybe have a family dinner with relatives after church. But it wasn’t until I was an adult that I gained a deeper level of understanding and appreciation for Easter.

Without Easter, Christianity doesn’t exist.

That’s not an overstatement. That’s just the truth. All of Christianity is based on the resurrection. It’s based on what happened nearly 2,000 years ago on that first Easter morning. Lee Strobel, former atheist and now Christian author, has written several books from an investigative reporter’s point of view, building cases for Christianity.

His first book, The Case for Christ, is based on his own investigative work when he was an atheist, all trying to disprove Christianity to his wife, a reborn Christian. This book was also recently made into a movie. In that movie, when Lee is beginning his crusade to disprove Christianity, he asks a Christian colleague where he should start his investigation. His Christian friend responded immediately. “If you disprove the resurrection, you disprove Christianity.”

Two thoughts crossed my mind when he made this statement:

1. Why would his Christian friend help an atheist trying to attack his own religion? (I realized later the Christian friend wasn’t worried one bit about what Lee would find. This character knew he’d only find evidence to support the resurrection!) God doesn’t mind if you have doubts. He just wants you to investigate for yourself.
2. The full weight of Easter hit me. I thought, “He’s right!” I guess being raised in a Christian home I can say I logically knew this already, but this characters statement struck me. If you take away Easter, you take away Christianity!

Regardless of your personal religious beliefs, I pray you experience gratitude, joy, appreciation, and love this Easter.

I’m guessing we can all agree that the world would be a better place if we could express these toward each other more often.

I’ll see you next week when I’ll share what I learned about leadership from 4 senior leaders on my recent trip to the Far East.

All the best,

1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?

6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

“ He is not here, but has risen. —LUKE 24:6A (ESV)

10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

Have a blessed day.

Russ