Each Easter finds us poised in our pew, attempting to absorb the cosmic sacrifice that threw open the gates to paradise. Typically we approach the day with a mixture of sobriety and jubilance. The divine rescue story of Easter reminds us of a God who loves us, made the ultimate sacrifice for us, and offers never-ending grace and forgiveness to us. Even a glimpse into such an unreasonable act of love revives our wavering faith, and we recommit ourselves to serve this God of immoderate love.

Then Easter day passes and we find ourselves slipping back into the routine of life once again. Business as usual takes over, sidelining our faith until next year's Easter service. But in reality what happens in between each Easter is where our faith is truly realized or lost.

Getting Beyond Easter

We leave Easter day to walk into a world that constantly pelts us with difficulties. It's in this environment where we're pressed to discover whether the stuff of Easter truly makes sense and works in our lives.

Is God really in the business of scandalously loving misfits like us? Does He truly forgive and pardon us like the Easter story claims? We pay lip service to grace hailed on Easter, but truthfully, many of us still see God as a discerning judge bearing down on the sinners clogging His creation.

Often we forfeit new life because we cling to those types of misconceptions about the Giver of grace. We run and hide, shamefully struggling with our sin, denying ourselves the very help we need. But He's longing to shower us with forgiveness and a fresh start. Ignoring or forgetting His clear offer to make us white as snow keeps us from enjoying His restoration and relief. First John 1:9 promises, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (CSB).

"I believe what God accomplished on Easter is a great 'template' for His work on the entire planet. He took the very worst thing that could possibly happen — the murder of His innocent Son — and turned it into a day we call Good Friday," says author Philip Yancey. "That act of redemption, of taking catastrophe and creating out of it the salvation of the world, is a bright and shining promise of what God has in store for the entire planet … and for individuals."

A "template" for new life — this is the gift of Easter. It's not meant to be opened only once a year. Instead, this new life is to be opened and carried with you every day — serving more as a backpack than a gift filled with faith, hope, and continuous resurrection. The Easter message should constantly change us.

The Apostle Paul challenges us to see ourselves as being continually transformed by the message of Jesus: "Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom. 12:2a, CSB). And he speaks of how we become a new creation in Christ: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come" (2 Cor. 5:17, CSB).

This is the revolution of God through Jesus Christ: being transformed into a new creation. Yes, our world is a hard place, and the harsh nature of our planet shapes us to doubt the very power of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. But the supernatural power of Easter is greater. We're called into a new place that is painted with brilliant colors of life. We're reconciled through Jesus, who takes our guilt. And because of Jesus, we're marked as ambassadors — people affected by the "template" of Easter in every area of our lives.

"I know of marriages that are dying, and churches that are dying, and individual souls that are dying, and relationships between parents and children that are dying," observes Yancey. "Through Easter, we have the confidence that God's power — the very same power that raised Jesus from the dead, as Paul assures us — wants to bring life to those very situations."

Making It Real

Easter becomes real in our lives through the supernatural activity of God and our intentional participation. Regarding the supernatural, we need only observe the work of God within and around our lives. Yancey often receives letters from people who remark on their "Easter events" in life: "Relationships can be restored. There is Easter hope for all of us."

All we need to do, when walking away from Easter day, is look around and notice the stories of grace that dot the terrain of life. People who walk and struggle with God show the amazing signs: lives changed, courage gained, addictions overcome, relationships revived, outlooks on life renewed — these all give evidence. We need only to look for them.

At the same time, there's a call for intentional participation in the Easter revolution. Author Brennan Manning explains that Easter is more than simply making us feel good about God's love. Rather, Easter's message should drive us in a tenacious pursuit of faith. Christians must actively pursue the gift of Easter, choosing each day whom they will seek and serve.

In Joshua 24:14-15 we are told: "Therefore, fear the Lord and worship Him in sincerity and truth. Get rid of the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship the Lord. But if it doesn't please you to worship the Lord, chose for yourselves today: Which will you worship — the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living? As for me and my family, we will worship the Lord" (CSB). As much as God loves us, He doesn't press Himself upon us. Instead, He gives us the privilege of responding to His love and pursuing Him — of choosing to worship Him daily with our lives.

Finally, making Easter real requires an awareness of God's presence regardless of the storms of life, accepting a practice of ruthlessly trusting in Him. Manning states, "Ruthless trust is an unerring sense, way deep down, that beneath the surface agitation, boredom, and insecurity of life, it's gonna be all right. Ill winds may blow, more character defects may surface, sickness may visit, and friends will surely die; but a stubborn, irrefutable certainty persists that God is with us and loves us in our struggle to be faithful."

No matter how well or poorly you are doing, God is present. No matter the nature of the tragedy, God is present. In the sweet moments of joy, He is present. In the darkest and most embarrassing moments of life, He stands close.

God's presence shows us the tenacious nature of Easter. It's God's mercy, which follows us, whether we realize it or not. Yes, God is close, and this is our hope for our journey to the day of Easter once more. Indeed, Easter is with us every day.