Yes I Said It: Easter Sunday Is an Assault on the Resurrection
Yes, I quite literally said this last Sunday in my sermon: "Easter Sunday is an assault on the resurrection.”
You can listen to that sermon here: https://-JVZ8T5.subspla.sh/xnk3skm
You might be reading this because you already understand what I am arguing for. Or you might be the victim of clickbait. I think clickbait can be quite a perverse thing most of the time, but the science behind it is, admittedly, quite genius.
Now that I have your ear (or eye), follow me for a moment. Let me restate the statement with some nuance.
Easter Sunday, as we know it in modern-day 2025—with the influence of Big Eva and all her pragmatism—you know, the smoke, the lights, the Easter bunny, the egg hunts, the flyer invitations, and so on—is an assault on the resurrection of Christ and its biblical implications, particularly the establishment of the weekly Lord’s Day gathering and the daily power available to all Spirit-filled believers.
Have you heard the phrase, "you've been sold a bill of goods"? The expression originated in the days when merchants sold goods shipped by boat. They would promise that the goods were guaranteed, but when the shipment arrived, the items were either missing or not what the buyer had paid for. In other words, they were deceived and misled into purchasing something that turned out not to be what they expected.
So here it is: You have been told that Easter was about Christ’s resurrection, but really you've been sold a bill of goods. Sadly, this is what many have been handed regarding Easter Sunday—not the rich, ongoing reality of the resurrection that shapes every Lord’s Day, but a substitute tradition that falls short of what Scripture teaches. Therefore, if the true biblical meaning is the resurrection and its implications, then the modern application of Easter Sunday is an assault on the biblical resurrection of Christ and its implications. We should think deeply and critically about this topic. We should not just so passively adopt the practices of the day.
I am not completely against annual celebrations like Easter and Christmas. In fact, even biblically there were annual celebrations that were observed (i.e., the different feasts, Passover, Pentecost, etc.). Not to mention that I highly value tradition rooted in church history. But I am afraid that the modern-day practice of Easter falls short in nearly every way, and I think there is a better way.
I realize writing an article like this brings plenty of potential scrutiny against my position. I admit my position is not foolproof. I do not intend to “throw the [proverbial] baby out with the bathwater,” but I do think this is one of the fruits of pragmatism which has rotted the church from the outside in.
This article is a critique of the “system” or "philosophy" known as pragmatism, which most evangelical churches have adopted, and it is to blame—in part at least—for a lot of spiritual lethargy in the church. Pragmatism is simply the philosophy of “if it works, then let’s do it.” Some would say that I am mischaracterizing them, their views, and their practices. I am positive that many good pragmatic Christians would not participate in a pragmatism that embraces evil practices, although there are some who do. The pragmatists I am mentioning are the ones who would say things like, “the Bible doesn’t forbid it, so therefore we are free to do it.” However, I believe there is a better way that is not flashy. In fact, it will seem quite boring in comparison. But I believe it is better and will anchor your soul in a more profound way than the false counterpart known as pragmatism.
Pragmatism draws you in like a Venus flytrap. At first glance, it appears attractive—its colors vibrant, its nectar sweet, promising life and growth. But beneath the surface, it’s a trap. What seems effective and appealing slowly closes in, suffocating true dependence on God’s Word and devouring the very life it claimed to offer.
So where do we go from here? Am I arguing that no church should put emphasis on the resurrection once a year in the Spring? No. Am I saying to ignore the fact that lost people are more prone to come to Easter (& Christmas) services than any other service during the year? No. Am I saying to scorn any church that does these things? No.
You can listen to that sermon here: https://-JVZ8T5.subspla.sh/xnk3skm
You might be reading this because you already understand what I am arguing for. Or you might be the victim of clickbait. I think clickbait can be quite a perverse thing most of the time, but the science behind it is, admittedly, quite genius.
Now that I have your ear (or eye), follow me for a moment. Let me restate the statement with some nuance.
Easter Sunday, as we know it in modern-day 2025—with the influence of Big Eva and all her pragmatism—you know, the smoke, the lights, the Easter bunny, the egg hunts, the flyer invitations, and so on—is an assault on the resurrection of Christ and its biblical implications, particularly the establishment of the weekly Lord’s Day gathering and the daily power available to all Spirit-filled believers.
Have you heard the phrase, "you've been sold a bill of goods"? The expression originated in the days when merchants sold goods shipped by boat. They would promise that the goods were guaranteed, but when the shipment arrived, the items were either missing or not what the buyer had paid for. In other words, they were deceived and misled into purchasing something that turned out not to be what they expected.
So here it is: You have been told that Easter was about Christ’s resurrection, but really you've been sold a bill of goods. Sadly, this is what many have been handed regarding Easter Sunday—not the rich, ongoing reality of the resurrection that shapes every Lord’s Day, but a substitute tradition that falls short of what Scripture teaches. Therefore, if the true biblical meaning is the resurrection and its implications, then the modern application of Easter Sunday is an assault on the biblical resurrection of Christ and its implications. We should think deeply and critically about this topic. We should not just so passively adopt the practices of the day.
I am not completely against annual celebrations like Easter and Christmas. In fact, even biblically there were annual celebrations that were observed (i.e., the different feasts, Passover, Pentecost, etc.). Not to mention that I highly value tradition rooted in church history. But I am afraid that the modern-day practice of Easter falls short in nearly every way, and I think there is a better way.
I realize writing an article like this brings plenty of potential scrutiny against my position. I admit my position is not foolproof. I do not intend to “throw the [proverbial] baby out with the bathwater,” but I do think this is one of the fruits of pragmatism which has rotted the church from the outside in.
This article is a critique of the “system” or "philosophy" known as pragmatism, which most evangelical churches have adopted, and it is to blame—in part at least—for a lot of spiritual lethargy in the church. Pragmatism is simply the philosophy of “if it works, then let’s do it.” Some would say that I am mischaracterizing them, their views, and their practices. I am positive that many good pragmatic Christians would not participate in a pragmatism that embraces evil practices, although there are some who do. The pragmatists I am mentioning are the ones who would say things like, “the Bible doesn’t forbid it, so therefore we are free to do it.” However, I believe there is a better way that is not flashy. In fact, it will seem quite boring in comparison. But I believe it is better and will anchor your soul in a more profound way than the false counterpart known as pragmatism.
Pragmatism draws you in like a Venus flytrap. At first glance, it appears attractive—its colors vibrant, its nectar sweet, promising life and growth. But beneath the surface, it’s a trap. What seems effective and appealing slowly closes in, suffocating true dependence on God’s Word and devouring the very life it claimed to offer.
So where do we go from here? Am I arguing that no church should put emphasis on the resurrection once a year in the Spring? No. Am I saying to ignore the fact that lost people are more prone to come to Easter (& Christmas) services than any other service during the year? No. Am I saying to scorn any church that does these things? No.
Here are three critiques of a pragmatic approach to the resurrection:
1. It undermines the consistent power of the resurrection by emphasizing a “mountain top experience”
It amazes me how apt we are as Christians to go to church on Easter and be fully engaged. During “Holy Week,” perhaps we have been to other services, read an Easter devotional, participated in Lent, and seen everyone post on Facebook that “Sunday is coming!” We are absolutely ready to worship. The pastor gets up and says, “Christ the Lord is Risen!” and we respond with a hearty, “Indeed, He is Risen!” We sing with full heart and throat the third verse of In Christ Alone:
There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
The pastor gets up and preaches, and we are taking notes, confirming all that he is saying about the resurrection with plenty of out-loud moans of agreement and “amens.”
And then next Sunday comes. We show up late. We haven't really read our Bible that week. We’ve had arguments with our spouse, etc. We listen and are trying our best, but our hearts are really struggling. We sing, but if we are honest, our hearts are not in it and we are almost just moving our lips to the hymn. When the sermon is being preached, we catch bits and pieces, but our minds wander.
Which of these two Sundays is preferable? Obviously the first one. But which of these Sundays is normative? Probably the second. However, I think there is a third type of Sunday that actually sounds a lot like the second one—yet without the guilt that you are not giving your all to God.
See, we are to live in the power of the resurrection. Unfortunately, the modern practice of Easter Sunday creates an atmosphere of a mountain top experience (which is great for one week) and then leaves us in the valley every other week.
There is a better way! Every Sunday, whether it is a mountain top or valley kind of week, the power of the resurrection still applies to you and your worship of God. The whole point of 1 Corinthians 15 is that if Christ has not been raised from the dead, then we have no hope. But in fact, Christ was raised from the dead! So we should have hope in all circumstances, not just the valleys.
The power of the resurrection is a consistent stream of power to the Christian, and we should daily remind ourselves of this. Don’t let the temptation of mountain top experiences drive your Christian life. Mountain top experiences promise a lot and produce very little. You cannot be sustained by these things. Therefore, be committed to tapping into the power of the resurrection consistently.
There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
The pastor gets up and preaches, and we are taking notes, confirming all that he is saying about the resurrection with plenty of out-loud moans of agreement and “amens.”
And then next Sunday comes. We show up late. We haven't really read our Bible that week. We’ve had arguments with our spouse, etc. We listen and are trying our best, but our hearts are really struggling. We sing, but if we are honest, our hearts are not in it and we are almost just moving our lips to the hymn. When the sermon is being preached, we catch bits and pieces, but our minds wander.
Which of these two Sundays is preferable? Obviously the first one. But which of these Sundays is normative? Probably the second. However, I think there is a third type of Sunday that actually sounds a lot like the second one—yet without the guilt that you are not giving your all to God.
See, we are to live in the power of the resurrection. Unfortunately, the modern practice of Easter Sunday creates an atmosphere of a mountain top experience (which is great for one week) and then leaves us in the valley every other week.
There is a better way! Every Sunday, whether it is a mountain top or valley kind of week, the power of the resurrection still applies to you and your worship of God. The whole point of 1 Corinthians 15 is that if Christ has not been raised from the dead, then we have no hope. But in fact, Christ was raised from the dead! So we should have hope in all circumstances, not just the valleys.
The power of the resurrection is a consistent stream of power to the Christian, and we should daily remind ourselves of this. Don’t let the temptation of mountain top experiences drive your Christian life. Mountain top experiences promise a lot and produce very little. You cannot be sustained by these things. Therefore, be committed to tapping into the power of the resurrection consistently.
2. It undermines the weekly gathering of the saints by emphasizing isolated emotions
This is a continuation of the previous point, but I will make it another way. Much like Easter Sunday is an assault on the resurrection, Valentine’s Day is an assault on true marital love.
What spouse wants to have the greatest day of their life on Valentine’s Day while living a mundane, below-average life every other day of their marriage? I would argue none. Spouses want consistent and growing affection, and that takes consistent effort. Valentine’s Day should not be the greatest day of your marriage.
Perhaps I am a little brainwashed here by my mother—rightfully so, might I add. My mom is a saint. She is selfless and loves to serve others. Well, this causes issues on Mother’s Day each year when it is time to celebrate her. As long as I can remember, every year on Mother’s Day, in response to gifts, warm wishes, and more, she will respond by saying, “Every day is Mother’s Day for me!”
Well, well, Mom! I think you are on to something. Perhaps we should say, “Every day is resurrection day for me!” Or at the very least, “Every Lord’s Day is resurrection day for me!”
The 1689 London Baptist Confession, Chapter 22: On Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day reads:
“It is the law of nature that in general a portion of time specified by God should be set apart for the worship of God. So by his Word, in a positive-moral and perpetual commandment that obligates everyone in every age, he has specifically appointed one day in seven for a sabbath to be kept holy to him. From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, the appointed day was the last day of the week. After the resurrection of Christ it was changed to the first day of the week, which is called the Lord’s Day. This day is to be kept to the end of the age as the Christian Sabbath, since the observance of the last day of the week has been abolished.”
So dear Christian, as you worship on the Lord’s Day, remember that you are doing so because this is the day that Christ rose from the grave!
What spouse wants to have the greatest day of their life on Valentine’s Day while living a mundane, below-average life every other day of their marriage? I would argue none. Spouses want consistent and growing affection, and that takes consistent effort. Valentine’s Day should not be the greatest day of your marriage.
Perhaps I am a little brainwashed here by my mother—rightfully so, might I add. My mom is a saint. She is selfless and loves to serve others. Well, this causes issues on Mother’s Day each year when it is time to celebrate her. As long as I can remember, every year on Mother’s Day, in response to gifts, warm wishes, and more, she will respond by saying, “Every day is Mother’s Day for me!”
Well, well, Mom! I think you are on to something. Perhaps we should say, “Every day is resurrection day for me!” Or at the very least, “Every Lord’s Day is resurrection day for me!”
The 1689 London Baptist Confession, Chapter 22: On Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day reads:
“It is the law of nature that in general a portion of time specified by God should be set apart for the worship of God. So by his Word, in a positive-moral and perpetual commandment that obligates everyone in every age, he has specifically appointed one day in seven for a sabbath to be kept holy to him. From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, the appointed day was the last day of the week. After the resurrection of Christ it was changed to the first day of the week, which is called the Lord’s Day. This day is to be kept to the end of the age as the Christian Sabbath, since the observance of the last day of the week has been abolished.”
So dear Christian, as you worship on the Lord’s Day, remember that you are doing so because this is the day that Christ rose from the grave!
3. It wrongfully binds the conscience to unnecessary things
The truth about the church, as it pertains to unnecessary pragmatism, is this: we have no obligation to do the pragmatic functions. Or let me propose a question: what must worship look like on what is known as Easter Sunday?
To be a biblical church that seeks to make an impact for the kingdom of God in the community in which God has placed them does not have to include the following:
On the other hand, a church can be a biblical church that seeks to make an impact for the kingdom of God in its community and have its service on Resurrection Sunday look like every other Sunday. Is He not risen every other Sunday? If so, then I am confused about why Easter Sunday is such a hype in the modern church when the resurrection is the hype of every moment for the born-again believer.
Notice that I have used intentional terms here that are important to understanding the conscience. They are terms of absoluteness like must, mandatory, or have to. Pragmatism binds the conscience to these things by saying if you do not do them, then you are not truly seeking to reach the lost and have an impact. This is simply not true.
In fact, what pragmatism has done is pervert the doctrine of the church, otherwise known as ecclesiology. What is the church's purpose? What are its functions? Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 14 that the church is a gathering for the edification of believers, not lost people. But he says that if lost people come into the gathering, then they should fall on their faces and worship God. Pragmatism reverses these things in many cases. It prioritizes and even binds the conscience to appeal to the lost person as primary. This is backwards from what the Bible teaches.
Therefore, it binds the conscience to unnecessary things—things that are not mandatory by any measure of the truth.
To be a biblical church that seeks to make an impact for the kingdom of God in the community in which God has placed them does not have to include the following:
- A sermon specific to the resurrection
- An emphasis on inviting friends and family for a special service
- “Outreach” ideas like an Easter Egg Hunt, etc.
On the other hand, a church can be a biblical church that seeks to make an impact for the kingdom of God in its community and have its service on Resurrection Sunday look like every other Sunday. Is He not risen every other Sunday? If so, then I am confused about why Easter Sunday is such a hype in the modern church when the resurrection is the hype of every moment for the born-again believer.
Notice that I have used intentional terms here that are important to understanding the conscience. They are terms of absoluteness like must, mandatory, or have to. Pragmatism binds the conscience to these things by saying if you do not do them, then you are not truly seeking to reach the lost and have an impact. This is simply not true.
In fact, what pragmatism has done is pervert the doctrine of the church, otherwise known as ecclesiology. What is the church's purpose? What are its functions? Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 14 that the church is a gathering for the edification of believers, not lost people. But he says that if lost people come into the gathering, then they should fall on their faces and worship God. Pragmatism reverses these things in many cases. It prioritizes and even binds the conscience to appeal to the lost person as primary. This is backwards from what the Bible teaches.
Therefore, it binds the conscience to unnecessary things—things that are not mandatory by any measure of the truth.
In light of these critiques, here is a simple, biblical approach which avoids pragmatism and frees you to walk in the power of the resurrection:
- Walk daily in the power of the resurrection.
- Give your mornings to God. Read, pray, meditate on the Scriptures and the character of God daily. Do this in the power of the resurrection—it is a fountain flowing deep and wide for you.
- Give your days to men.
Spend time with people who will help develop, challenge, and build your convictions as you walk in the power of the resurrection to kill sin and grow in holiness. It is good to have people who strengthen your convictions by agreeing with you, but also good to have people around you who challenge your convictions, which will in turn either strengthen them or destroy them. - Give your life to the church.
You should not avoid the church. Rather, you should submit to the church, her leaders, and her members. Be a joyful, life-giving church member, not a mean, unsubmissive one. Division is not the spirit of the resurrection; truth, unity, and love are.
- Give your mornings to God. Read, pray, meditate on the Scriptures and the character of God daily. Do this in the power of the resurrection—it is a fountain flowing deep and wide for you.
- Develop biblical convictions.
May God bless you in the power of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ,
SDG,
Ryan Wade
SDG,
Ryan Wade
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