God came to St. Peter one day and said, “It is getting quite crowded up here, so I think you should come up with a little quiz to sort out the “pretenders” from the “believers.” A one-question quiz ought to suffice.” Peter thought long and hard and decided he would ask people, “What’s Easter?”

It was not long before a man arrived and Peter explained that heaven now had an entrance exam, “What’s Easter?” The man chuckled and said, “That’s so easy. It's when you buy a tree, put lights, tinsel and a star on it. Then you get presents for every- one and put them under the tree.” Peter shook his head and said, “You flunked. You need to go to “the other place”.”

A bit later a woman came up and Peter asked her, “What’s Easter?” The woman waved her hand in a dismissive way and said, “It’s when children dress up in funny or scary costumes and they go around door-to-door begging for candy.” Once again Peter shook his head and told her she needed to go to “the other place.”

Peter was a bit discouraged until he saw Norwegian, Lutheran, Ole Lindstrom coming up the road. Peter gave Ole a warm greeting and asked, “What’s Easter?” Ole scratched his head and replied, “Vell, dat’s vhen Yesus, came out of dat der toom, looked around, saw His shadow, and vent back inside for six more veeks.”

Sadly, this little story illustrates what is happening to the most important day and event in all of history. Today, too many people talk about the Easter Bunny, dying eggs, having an egg hunt, chocolate bunnies, gum drops, and yellow marshmallow chicks.

If we have lost Easter, then Christmas, the life of Christ, and Good Friday mean absolutely nothing. For without the Easter Resurrection, then Jesus is just one more good man who got crushed by the system, and every one of us is going to “the other place.”

In Romans, chapter six, Paul writes when we were baptized, we were baptized into Christ’s death. And if we have died with Him in death like His, then we will surely rise with Him in a resurrection like His.

Easter is not just about bunnies, colored eggs, and yellow chicks. It is about the greatest victory of all time. Christ’s victory over death and the grave is our victory. Because he died and lived, we too shall live. That’s what we should be talking about. That’s what the good parent shall teach his child.

Veritas, Curt