There are a lot of things going on this week, and it seems like Easter — the time of year where we mark the death of Jesus on behalf of mankind — has been pushed to the background. That’s not just sad, that’s tragic.

Today there will be countless number of people in this country gathered around television sets (or else distracted by them, if they are at work) watching to see if the right teams won so they can fill out their brackets. In our city, many kids looked forward to this week so they could not have school for several days in a row. Earlier this week, on Monday, many people honored the life of a follower of Christ by doing things that didn’t honor Christ. Millions of people are planning their evening to watch what will happen next to a group of people who exist only the minds of a group of television writers.

Living in the United States of America in 2008 means you can be a Christian, but please don’t push it in anyone’s face. But think about what this week of history means in our lives. If Jesus Christ had just lived a perfect life some 2,000 years ago and then just died, it wouldn’t have meant a thing. He was born to die a horrible death for our sins. And then, to show that God accepted that sacrifice, he rose from the grave. That’s the important part. Without it we’re just fooling ourselves and are living a lie.

Do you ever get a chill when you think about something that almost happened but didn’t? Well, without Christ’s death and resurrection we were all doomed to God’s wrath and to hell. You know, everlasting punishment for disobeying God. Think about that and shudder. Think about it and be jarred from the sleepy walk off a cliff called American pop culture. There is more to life than college basketball, St. Patrick’s Day, spring break, television, family visits and on and on.

Set you gaze on Jesus Christ and his perfect sacrifice. Think about the utter emptiness of this life without him. Realize that everything we’re looking for to fill up this empty void of our lives in fulfilled in him. Consider Jesus. Trust him. Treasure him.