I went to our church’s “Bunny Breakfast” recently. It’s one of those yearly events where people show up for pancakes, the Easter Bunny appears, and there’s an Easter egg hunt afterward. On the surface, it seems like a lighthearted community event, but it left me deeply unsettled.
At one point during the morning, I was chatting with someone and said, “…Christ resurrected.” Without missing a beat, a woman who’s been part of the church forever chimed in and said, “Not yet.” I paused, confused. Not yet? Christ has already risen. I realized after a moment that she meant Easter hadn’t come yet on the calendar.
But the comment stuck with me—and not because I misunderstood what she meant. It stuck because I think she revealed something deeper. For her, and for so many others, Jesus is treated like a holiday ornament—something to bring out for Easter, maybe again for Christmas, and then pack away until the next religious celebration comes around.
This is what happens in spiritually dry churches. It becomes tradition over truth. Ritual over relationship. We check the boxes. We go through the motions. But the living Christ is missing from the center.
The Resurrection Is Not a Calendar Event
Let’s be clear: Christ is not waiting in a tomb for Easter Sunday to roll around again. The resurrection is not something that happens symbolically once a year—it is a historical fact and a present reality.
“But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:20 NASB
The resurrection is not confined to a date on the liturgical calendar. Jesus Christ is alive now. He reigns now. He is interceding for His people now (Hebrews 7:25). If we truly believe this, then the resurrection should shape how we live every day—not just how we dress on Easter morning.
Religion Without Resurrection Power
There’s a kind of church-going that looks alive on the outside but is hollow within. People show up, they sit in the pews, they attend the events—but there’s no hunger for God, no submission to His Word, no transformation by His Spirit.
Jesus described it perfectly:
“This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me.”
— Matthew 15:8 NASB
I see this all the time. People more excited about the Easter Bunny than the empty tomb. Church members more interested in what’s for breakfast than what the Bible says. They’ll talk about who’s sick or who died, but not about what it means to follow Christ in a world that rejects Him. And if you do try to bring up Scripture, you get brushed off with, “That’s your interpretation.”
It doesn’t feel like church. It feels like a social club that meets on Sunday and occasionally hosts a pancake breakfast.
What Happens When We Forget the Resurrection?
When the risen Christ is treated like a seasonal symbol:
- We lose the urgency of the gospel.
- We stop expecting God to move.
- We teach the next generation that the church is about tradition, not truth.
Paul puts it bluntly:
“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:17 NASB
The resurrection isn’t just a story we remember. It’s the power that raised Christ from the dead—and it’s the same power that gives life to us (Romans 6:4–5). Without it, there is no Christianity. Without it, there is no hope.
Is Your Jesus Seasonal or Sovereign?
Here’s the real question I’ve been wrestling with: Do we worship Jesus as the risen Lord every day—or only on special days?
If Christ is alive, then He’s not a symbol. He’s not a tradition. He’s not a holiday decoration.
He is King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16). And He’s worthy of more than just seasonal recognition.
I’m writing this not to criticize individuals, but to confront a pattern that’s crept into so many churches—including mine. It’s possible to be surrounded by religion and yet miss the very One it’s all about. It’s possible to attend church your whole life and never know Jesus.
A Call to Rediscover the Risen Christ
If you feel the weight of this—if you recognize the apathy or the emptiness around you—I urge you to take a step back and ask: Do I know Jesus as my living Savior?
And if the answer is yes, then ask yourself: Is my life shaped by His resurrection? Do I live like He’s alive? Do I help others see that He is not a storybook figure, but a present and reigning King?
Let’s not pack Jesus away with the decorations this year. Let’s remember: He is risen—indeed.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever.”
— Hebrews 13:8 NASB
He is alive. And that changes everything.