On Easter

As answer 59 of our Shorter Catechism reminds us, each Sunday is a celebration of Christ’s resurrection: “From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, God appointed the seventh day of the week to be the weekly Sabbath; and the first day of the week ever since, to continue to the end of the world, which is the Christian Sabbath.” After all, this is the central, cardinal, and essential doctrine of our faith. “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:14)
Not surprisingly, then, Easter was the first festival recognized by the Church; the rest of the liturgical calendar formed around it. During the second century A.D., Easter began to be celebrated on the Sunday following Passover. It is not a single day, but a 50-day festival (seven weeks) which culminates in Pentecost. Other feasts and seasons of the Church calendar were added to this foundational celebration, with Advent being last.
Jesus’ resurrection is the Father’s public vindication of his ministry. That is, it testifies to the world that everything Jesus claimed about himself during his earthly ministry was true, and his death accomplished the salvation of his people. It is also the basis of the Christian hope: our own resurrection from the dead on the last day, when sin and death are finally defeated.
Accordingly, Easter ought be a season of joyous celebration. In your personal and family worship, take time to list the things God has done for you and to meditate on all the benefits of the salvation you’ve received from Christ. (I suggest, for example, memorizing Shorter Catechism #32-38.) Come to worship services prepared to sing with loud and glad voices, and stick around afterward to encourage your fellow saints to rejoice in all God’s goodnesses to them through our resurrected Savior and Lord.
If we can come with resurrection joy to all the Lord’s Day services of this Easter season, we will be well on the way to learning how to come to Church each and every week. By making Sunday the first day of the week, the Church has proclaimed the centrality of Christ’s resurrection for the entirety of God’s creation. Thus, we as Christians can and must celebrate each Lord’s Day as an Easter Sunday.