By Benjamin Soares

Benjamim and Joana lead singing at our home devotions.

It is important to remember the significance and meaning Easter holds, for Christians and others. I have noticed the culture of death is prevalent in our culture in general. Unsurprising of course, because we are all in bondage to sin and consequently death. This is a relevant theme in movies, art, and even music. Numerous people reportedly die per day, per hour, per minute, and needless to say, we all have to die some day. The passing of our loved ones is something sad and morbid. Death in itself is not something beautiful, death is a what we deserve for our sinful nature as depraved beings. That said, life is not just about living and dying. Are we here to serve our corrupting flesh, or to strive for things eternal? Jesus spoke about the second death. The death of the soul in eternity. Jesus gave us a chance to escape the second death through belief in Him. For some the discontinued beating of the heart is just the beginning of life. Yes, when our hearts stop beating, life has just begun. This point brings me to the significance of Easter. Easter should be a celebration of life, celebration of breath, of what it means to be alive on this earth. Christ died and rose to conquer death, that is to say the sting of death. If Christ had not risen, we would serve a dead savior, who had not abolished the greatest enemy of our human flesh: death.  Besides Christ painful death, and bearing the sins of the world with him, His resurrection is what is the core of the faith we now have in life eternal. Those who believe might die in this life, but have the promise of a more glorious resurrection, almost as glorious as the one Christ experienced. New bodies await us with a place of no sorrow or pain, but foremost, where death is no more. We serve a risen savior, praise the Lord.