The Week After Easter

So, it's the week after Easter. The Easter Bunny is no where to be found, the store displays have come down as fast as they went up and the remaining chocolate is on sale at rock bottom prices. It is amazing how fast Easter comes and goes. We really have not found a way to exploit this holiday economically with nearly the same success as some other celebrations. The great thing about this holiday, when approached from a spiritual perspective, however, is the way that it does go on...forever. On Easter Sunday, we in the Christian faith celebrate the day that Jesus was raised from the dead. It is the most important date on our calendar and the most important event in history. I was remarking to someone the other day that I find it funny that people can complain that Jesus coming back from the dead is scientifically impossible but rarely do people point out the scientific problems of a bunny that lays eggs. Jesus' resurrection, however, is a point at which we must come to a decision. The apostle Paul wrote that "if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile" (1 Corinthians 15:17) Why is it so important? I can think of three things to start with.
Firstly, the resurrection validates that Jesus was who He said He was, that his teaching has validity and authority and that we can trust what He said. If I am called to submit my life to the authority of an individual, if I am to call someone Lord, then it is important to know that He can be trusted with my allegiance, that he was not a liar or crazy.
Secondly, if the resurrection give credence to what Jesus did and said in the past, it also reminds me that I worship a living saviour, who is currently reigning from the throne at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 12:2), who is interceding for us (Romans 8:34), and who has promised to always be with us (Matthew 28:20). He is not dead but alive and He longs to work with us and through us and is with us in good times and in bad.
Lastly, the resurrection gives us hope for a glorious future. We are promised eternal life, and Jesus' resurrection is a foreshadow of what is to come, a promise of what we might expect. Jesus is the firstfruit that points forward to the bountiful harvest to come when all who put their faith in Him shall be resurrected on the last day. If we should die before Jesus returns, our souls shall be in heaven with the Lord. Jesus has also promised that He will return. I know that different denominations and theologies differ in some of the specifics when it comes to the end times, but there are a few things that most Christian teachings agree upon. There will be a resurrection in which the dead will be raised imperishable and those who have not yet died will be changed (1 Corinthians 15:52) and that there will eventually be a New Heaven and a New Earth that come together in which believers will live eternally in the presence of God (Revelation 21:1-4).
So Easter is a big deal, confirming the past, comforting us and giving us purpose in the present and giving us hope for the future...and eternal future which means that our celebrations for Easter can go on and on and on.