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By Barry Buzza
 A group of four year olds were gathered in a Sunday School class. The teacher looked at the bright-eyed children and asked, "Does anyone know what day it is today?"
One little girl knew, "It's Palm Sunday," she said.
"Very good Jenny," teacher cheered. "And does anyone know what next Sunday is?"
The same little girl lifted her hand and proudly answered, "Yes, next Sunday is Easter."
"That's awesome honey. Do any of you children know what makes Easter so special?"
It was the same precocious little girl who again raised her hand and offered the answer.
"Yes, next Sunday is Easter because it was the day Jesus rose from the dead."
Before her teacher could compliment her, Jenny continued, "Ébut if he sees his shadow, he has to go back in for seven weeks."
Little Jenny had the first part of her answer right. It is Easter, and Easter is more than chocolate bunnies, decorated eggs and fragrant lilies. It is a celebration of the day Jesus rose from the dead.
But so what?
Yes there is sufficient historical proof to verify that Jesus did actually rise from the dead about 2,000 years ago, but what does that mean to me and my family in 2008?
The truth is that Jesus' death and resurrection is worth celebrating. And that event which took place in Jerusalem a long time ago can have a direct effect in my life today.
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Here's how the ancient record reads: "Then God made us alive with Christ Jesus, for he forgave all our sins. He cancelled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them at the cross."
In Roman times, when a judge sentenced a criminal to a prison term or a death sentence, his clerk would write out a charge list. Just as an RCMP officer might write out a speeding ticket for us and note the number of kilometers over the limit we were driving-then we'd have to sign the ticket.
Back then, say the charge was, "he held up a 7/11 store with a gun in hand", that would be written on the charge list. Of course, they did not have paper or computers like we do. Rather they used papyrus, made of the pith of bull rushes. The ink they used had no acid and therefore did not penetrate indelibly into the fiber of the papyrus. A sponge could wipe it away as if it had never existed on the surface.
After the charge list was prepared, it was nailed outside the prison door where the convicted man was held captive. After his sentence had been fulfilled, the charge list would go back to the judge and he would write across it "Paid in full". If the man was to be executed, then the list would be nailed to the cross on which he was to die.
Now imagine that every offense against our Creator that we've ever committed (thoughts, words or actions that were wrong), were printed on our personal charge list. In my case the paper would be so long, it would be a book.
When Jesus died on the cross, it was as if Father God had taken every charge list from all six billion of us in this world and nailed it to Jesus' cross. When he died, the Judge of the universe took his giant eraser and wiped them all completely clean!
And that's the reason we celebrate Jesus' death and resurrection. If we accept his Easter gift, we will one day stand before the Creator and our charge list will be as white as snow. Easter means total forgiveness!
Barry Buzza, a regular contributor to canadianchristianity.com, is a veteran pastor, and also the president of the The Foursquare Gospel Church of Canada. www.barrybuzza.com www.foursquare.ca
April 10/2008
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