It’s nearly Easter!!

Apparently Easter is here and I need to catch these Easter bunnies while I can. Believe it or not, I took this picture in a shop a few days ago.

I was talking with the cashier about it and they agreed how ridiculous it was to have Easter goods on display. Apparently, in this particular shop anyway, the first Easter stock arrives as part of the last delivery before Christmas so that it is ready to put out after (or actually the moment that) Christmas is finished.

As I drove home I was really frustrated by this marketing that is driving us to anticipate the next big event before we had finished enjoying the current one. I hate the way that advertising is designed to leave us dissatisfied and I’m grateful that sometimes it doesn’t work and that we can be grateful for and enjoy what we actually have.

I was thinking about it some more today and I began to see how spiritually appropriate it is to have the Easter delivery come in just before Christmas.

Christmas celebrates God becoming human.

Easter celebrates the death and resurrection of Jesus which gives anyone who turns to him freedom from sin and the opportunity to know God now and forever.

We have just celebrated Jesus’ birth, but we shouldn’t forget why he came.

‘You shall call him Jesus because he will save his people from their sins’ (Matt 1.21).

Before Jesus was born, his delivery at Easter was guaranteed.

‘For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him’ (John 3.16-17).

God sent his son Jesus. He came amongst us for many reasons, but his ultimate goal was to save us and to offer us life through his death and resurrection.

The Easter poster encourages us to catch the bunnies while we can. The opportunity is there to receive them now even though Easter is still a few month away.

Jesus offers the gift of freedom from sin and guilt and he also offers us eternal life and we don’t have to wait until Easter to receive these things.

Jesus came to the earth to deliver us but how we respond to his amazing sacrifice is up to us.

You will be glad to know that no chocolate bunnies were harmed during the writing of this blog.