"When Is Easter?"

Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus,

Christ is risen! Alleluia! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

When is Easter?

Christmas is December 25 no matter what. Valentine’s Day is always February 14. Groundhog Day is February 2 every year, without fail.

But Easter jumps around. Last year it was March 27. Next year it will be April 8. This year it’s April 16. When is Easter?

Well, there’s a complicated history in the Christian Church as far as how to determine the date of Easter. It has to do with the date of Passover which is calculated according to the Jewish lunar calendar. But as far as we’re concerned it comes down to this: Easter is always on the Sunday after the first full moon that occurs on or after the spring equinox. That’s when Easter is.

But there’s another way to answer that question. When is Easter? For the earliest Christians, Easter wasn’t just a once-a-year celebration—they considered every Sunday to be Easter. Every Sunday for those first Christians was a day to remember THE Sunday when Jesus our Savior rose from the grave. On Saturday they would worship in the synagogue with their Jewish friends and neighbors. On Sunday they would gather with their Jewish friends and neighbors who believed that the Messiah had come. And they would celebrate Christ’s glorious victory over death.

To this day, we retain that tradition in the Christian Church. We Christians tend to worship on Sunday because that’s the day of the week when Jesus rose from the dead. So, for us, Easter isn’t just once a year, it’s every Sunday. For example, throughout the year we often pray this prayer of thanksgiving before communion:

So, when is Easter? Every Sunday, for Christians, is a mini-celebration of Easter.

But wait, there is yet one more way to answer that question. When is Easter? Listen to this passage from Romans 6: "All of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death. We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Jesus was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."

What is Paul saying? Paul is saying that at your baptism, you were connected to Jesus. And through that connection of baptism, the things that happened to Jesus have now also happened to you. When Jesus died, you died. When Jesus was raised, you were raised with Him. Paul is saying that Easter is something that happened not only to Jesus. And Easter is something more than just a celebration in church. Easter is something which has happened to each of us. We each have died. We each have risen again.

When the Bible says you died, it means your former sinful, self died. Your old self died. The person that was a slave to sin died. The person you used to be died. And who did you used to be? The Bible tells us that ever since Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden, we each are born into this world sinful—which means we’re born into this world spiritually blind, dead, and enemies of God. That’s who you used to be.

But, in your baptism, that old sinful self, that person you used to be, died with Jesus. In your baptism, the sinful person you once were was buried with Jesus. Now that you have been baptized, you no longer are who you once were. That former self has died.

And, in your baptism, you also rose with Jesus. You became a new person. You became a new creation. You are no longer spiritually blind, dead, and an enemy of God. You are no longer a slave to sin and death and hell. You are no longer headed for destruction. You have risen. Now you’re a new person, living a new life. The Bible says "The old has gone, the new has come." And another passage says, "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation."

As new creations, we’re forgiven. As new creations, God has declared us to be righteous and holy. As new creations, we seek to live our lives in thanksgiving to the God who raised us to new life.

So, when is Easter? Easter, for me, was September 11, 1966—the day I was baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection. Easter, for you, was the day you were baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection.

But one more thing. The devil, the world, and our own sinful bodies don’t want us to remember who we are. They don’t want us to remember that our old sinful selves have died. They don’t want us to remember that we’re new creations in Christ. Sometimes—too often, in fact—they succeed in leading us to forget who we are. Every time you sin, the devil or the world or your own body has succeeded in convincing you to go back to what you once were.

So, remember your baptism. Daily, remember your baptism. Daily, repent of your sin. Turn away from sin. Die to sin. And daily, in Jesus’ forgiveness, rise to new life. Remember again who you are in Christ. As Paul writes, "Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." And in another passage, He says, "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."

So, when is Easter? This year, Easter is April 16. And in the Christian Church, Easter is every Sunday as we remember and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the grave. For you, Easter was the day you were baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection. For you, Easter is every day, as you daily die to sin and rise to newness of life, remembering who you are in Christ.

Christ is risen! Alleluia! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

And by His grace, we can each say as well: I also have been raised to new life.

Alleluia! Amen.