Gamer Guildhall

It's Easter (or as some call it, "Resurrection Day") and there are lots of holiday sales going on for various games and gaming products. But I think it's important to remember the sale that started it all and is the true meaning of Easter. Did you know we were purchased? Or I should rather say redeemed...as it was freedom for us that was purchased.

Some of my favorite games tend to be those where you are an adventurer, a hero, fighting to undo the wrong in the world and rescue those who are suffering. (I've mentioned the Quest for Glory series in several posts and that is a prime example. You can also find this as a user-created element in multiplayer and massive-multiplayer games where role-playing is active.) But all these are just shadows of the true story of heroism that affects us all.

Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. He was crucified as the perfect offering for our sins, setting us free from sin itself by shedding his blood. Though he was (and is) perfect and committed no sin himself, he laid down his own life that we too may be free from sin. All of our actions in life have a consequence and sin comes with great consequence. It separates us from God and from knowing our Creator. But why is this so bad? Because without knowing God our Creator, we don't know what we were created for and thereby who we really are meant to be. Imagine trying to play a game with no instructions, tutorial, or guiding quests. We could probably explore the world and do things, but we would be hard-pressed to figure out our purpose in the game and what we were supposed to be accomplishing. Sure, we could set personal goals, but it wouldn't fulfill the destiny we were made for.

The reason this sacrifice is so amazing is twofold. First, because Jesus told us: "I and my Father are one." (John 10:30). That means he was God come in earthly form. And second, because he did this while we were still his enemies in our own hearts and minds. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8). I have yet to see a game (or real life situation) where we are fighting so passionately for our enemies because that's just not how we think, but this is exactly what Jesus did for us. While I used the word sale in the beginning, this purchase of our salvation was not cheap. It came at a great cost: his shed blood and very life. We celebrate Easter because three days after he gave his life on the cross, Jesus was resurrected by the Holy Spirit and later ascended into Heaven. This secured our own eternal salvation for those who accept his free gift and place their faith in Him.

There is so much more that could be written here, but this is the meaning of the celebration of Easter. May this holiday be a happy one for you and your loved ones!