Faith: Every Sunday celebrates Ressurection
He is risen! He is risen indeed! With words like these we celebrated Easter Sunday. But now that date is past, and life returns to normal until we again celebrate the Lord’s resurrection from the dead a year from now.
Well, not so fast. Christians started worshipping on Sunday, rather than on the Sabbath, from the earliest days of the Christian era (Acts 20:7). Why on Sunday? Why not continue the tradition of the Sabbath (from sun set on Friday to sun set on Saturday)? Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week, Sunday, and by so doing gained victory over death on that day. He died on the cross on Friday, paying the penalty for sin that each of us deserve, and rose in victory over death on Sunday, three days later. And we share in that victory when we believe that Jesus won that victory for each and every one of us.
That three day period, from Good Friday to Easter Sunday is the most important period of time for all Christians, for in that time frame Jesus Christ won a victory in which we all share. Believing that Jesus died for our sins we receive God’s assurance that he has forgiven our sins and has prepared a place for us in his eternal kingdom. And when Jesus rose from the dead, God assures us that we also will rise from the dead to live with him forever. That Sunday culminated everything that needed to be done for our being reconciled with God. And early on Christians began the custom “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.” (Acts 20:7).
The early Christians broke the Sabbath tradition because now Sunday was the important date to celebrate, the day Jesus rose from the dead. And we have continued that new tradition ever since. We are in actuality celebrating Easter every Sunday of the year; 52 times a year we celebrate Easter. Therefore, every Sunday we should really celebrate Easter. Every Sunday should be a celebration event, worshipping God because his Son gained the victory over death for each and every one of us, and through his resurrection from the dead we celebrate the assurance that we also will rise from the dead to live with him forever in his kingdom.
Every Sunday we should start the day with the words, “He is risen! He is risen indeed!” And why not do tha every day of the year as well?