By Rev. Br. Kenneth Chigozie Alamezie, Bss

Although the situation in our world today suggests hopelessness, in the sense that we have dangerously sustained a creepy downward match on the path to ruin, yet not all hope is lost. There is still hope, in as much as we can begin to see situations around us through the lenses of Hope--Christ Jesus, who is our hope of glory.
This is what the Easter celebration depicts. The resurrection of the Lord and savior Jesus Christ is symptomatic of hope shining out of hopelessness, light shining out of darkness, blessing springing up from the debris of curse and disappointment, replacing thus the age long curse of the law, favor taking the place of fruitless toiling, and life trampling death in eternal defeat, etc.
Apparently, ours is a blessed era, knowing we have such a high priest and loving savior as Christ, who offered himself as a sacrificial lamb to God on our behalf, thereby perfecting all things for us.
Thus, the joy of the season focuses on the assurance we have in him of our redemption from the curse as well as our complete restoration, which benefit we are to enjoy both in this world and in the world to come. Yet, these he made possible by his ignominious death on the cross, showing, then the abounding benefits of death and the cross.
For Christ redefined death by revealing through his own death that true and sustainable life can only come via death, which is true death to self. In addition, sanctifying the cross, he has shown us that the cross is the surest path to gaining complete mastery over self, thus leading to self-discovery.
As nobody takes up the cross in order to put up a good show of or with it, seeing that the cross is a symbol of crucifixion, so we are to take up the cross with the sole aim of undergoing crucifixion to self, which is the only way to achieving resurrection to newness of life.
This is paramount given that we are living in a world where speed is king, where moral depravity is being celebrated and promoted, and godly virtues quickly becoming as dung. We are living in a world torn apart by greed and unbridled lust for power and fame; a world where impunity reigns as king, although we claim to be seeking eternal reign with the Just King. Ours is a world marred by violence and abuse, we abuse everything there is to abuse, sex, freedom, authority, wealth, and the list goes on.
In view of all these, in order to make good of the Easter celebration it is our duty, then, to dispose ourselves to the spirit of the season as well as the lesson it carries. It will be vain celebration or mere ritual observance, if we fail to see the season for what it truly is. We are celebrating the resurrection of Christ today because he gave himself up to death some two thousand and sixteen years ago. In the same vein, we are to go all out of our comfort zones, take up our cross, and go meet him at the foot of his own cross to be crucified with him. This crucifixion is no other than crucifixion to self. Likewise, the gain of this kind of crucifixion is no more than resurrection to newness of life. By resurrecting with Christ to newness of life, we get his mark impute in our spirit by the action of the Holy Spirit, who then begins to live in us and through us the life of Christ. This is an entirely new kind of life, where the believer no longer strives to overcome sin, but lives the holy life in the freedom of the spirit, affecting positively those around them with help of the aura of the Spirit in them. God bless you!