N.T. Wright made another point in his talk that I liked. It was about Easter.

He pointed out that in Western Christianity, we have started putting more emphasis on Ash Wednesday and Lent, to go along with the emphasis on Holy Week for a long time. We have special services for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and then we end the week with an Easter Vigil.

He said something like, "It's wonderful that we take the time to remember these things. Lent can be a great time to develop discipline and self-control. However, if we are going to leave something behind for Lent, we need to think about what we are going to pick up for Easter." What is going to change? He commented that we have all these services leading to Easter, but then once Easter Sunday comes and goes, we go back to our lives. He said, "This is the time of year when Bishops go on holiday." But, he suggested that this is not how it should be.

Easter should be a time of celebration, not just a time when we go back to doing the things we stopped doing for Lent. As Christians, this should be such a time of celebration that people ask, "What is this partying all about?" We should be so excited that our Lord has risen that it shows in our lives. N.T. Wright said, "What ever you do at Christmas, you should do ten fold at Easter. Why not have 40 days of partying, from Easter to the ascension?"

Easter is coming. The tomb is empty. Let's celebrate.

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