When I was young, my mother would always make me an Easter dress.  It would be special.  Something really pretty.  When she finished it, we would hang it up for me to wear to church on Easter morning.  And then my job was to polish my shoes.  When Easter finally came, I would put everything on and feel brand new.

Easter should always make us feel brand new.  That's why we say we have "New Life" when the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our body and soul.  Easter is the celebration of Christ conquering death.

Easter is the holiday that Christians celebrate.  It really has no meaning to other groups of people.  They may celebrate bunnies, or dyed eggs, or Easter baskets.  But the meaning of Easter is Jesus.  He rose from the dead to make intercession between us and God.

The commercial world would steal the meaning of things like Easter and Christmas from us.  There is so much stuff to buy and so many ways to make us want things.  Through the years as a Bible teacher I have always told my classes that:

1.  You want it when you are twenty
2.  You charge it when you are thirty
3.  You pay it off when you are forty
4.  You wonder why in the world you ever bought it when you are fifty
5.  You get rid of it when you are sixty
6.  You really don't want anything when you are seventy

Except an Easter dress and some black patent shoes that don't need to be polished.