It’s the most wonderful time of the year.  Usually you hear that phrase around Christmas, but as a college basketball fan, I could use it for this time of year.  The NCAA March Madness basketball tournament has started.  For the next three weeks, college basketball is going to dominate my television.  In face, as I sit here and type this in my office, I have a screen set up to watch some of the games as I’m working. 

There are just always so many good story lines that take place during what we call March Madness.  There are teams that you expect to dominate opponents and do so.  Then there are the teams that end up being the unexpected Cinderella teams that capture most of our hearts as they perform at a level not expected from a small school.  It’s competitive.  It’s intriguing.  But it’s not what I mean when I say “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”  Don’t get me wrong, I love this basketball tournament, but there is something that makes this time of year better than college basketball.

You see, we are just a month away from Easter.  While Christmas is the time of year that we celebrate Jesus becoming God in the Flesh, which is definitely something to celebrate, it means nothing without Easter.  Easter is the time of year that we focus in on what Jesus did for us on the cross.  Our sin has caused a debt that we cannot pay ourselves.  So Jesus willing went to the cross to pay our debt for us.  And God honored His sacrifice by bringing Jesus out of the grave.  That’s Easter.  That’s what we celebrate.  And it is the best storyline in history.

God honored His sacrifice by bringing Jesus out of the grave.  That’s Easter.  That’s what we celebrate.  And it is the best storyline in history.

In reality, as Christ followers, we should celebrate that every day of our lives.  I would like to think that most of us do.  But we especially celebrate each year when Easter comes around.  It usually matches up with the Jewish Passover week, as that is when Jesus went to the cross, so unlike Christmas, the date changes.  The most wonderful time of the year fluctuates.  Just in case you don’t have it on a calendar somewhere, Easter Sunday is on April 16 this year.  If you don’t have a church home to celebrate Easter this year, we would love to have you join us at Central Christian Church at 10:30.

There really is no better time of year in my opinion.  A time that we focus specifically on what Jesus did for us on the cross.  I don’t know what you believe.  I don’t know if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior.  And I don’t know if you attend church regularly.  But again, I want to extend an invitation to you.  Not just to church on Easter Sunday, although that would be a great start.  But I want to extend an invitation to sit down over a cup of coffee and talk about who Jesus is and what He has done in my life.  If you have questions and are not really sure what you believe, please let me know.  I would love the chance to talk with you.  E-mail me at kraig@crosseyedjesusfreak.com.