This morning as I was working through my devotional time and pondering what this past holy week presented us, I came across this brief thought from Kyle Reed who challenges us post-Easter to ask ourselves a question.

For most people inside the church the only hangover they will have all year is after Easter and Christmas (I do say most, you can write in whatever else you want there). The Monday after Easter is one of reflection and remembering. Maybe you crashed hard from the sugar buzz that the Easter bunny provided, or it could be the spiritual buzz that you felt yesterday morning reflecting on why we celebrate Easter. In all honesty the days after Easter provide us with a time to recoup and rest. What I wonder though is what this hangover can do to us?

For someone who has grown up in the church his entire life, the only thing I can remember about Easter from years past is the suits that I got to wear and the candy that I got to eat. It seemed that the Resurrection was the last thing that was on my mind. Call me a spoiled church kid, but I really think that Easter Sunday was just another Sunday with a lot of new people. As I reflected on my time yesterday at church, I continued to ask myself what would be different, how would I be changed from this day and its significance?

I find it interesting that we put a lot of emphasis on lent and the days that lead up to Easter. In the most recent years we have seen lent take on the identity of pulling back from social media and entertainment. People professing their ability to be distracted by twitter, blogs, and television and instead are committing to focus on God. Lent provides us a chance to prepare for what is to come.

But what happens after Easter? Inside of scripture we see the church get its start after Easter (what we would call Easter, Christ Resurrection). We see this amazing hope of life after death preached to every nation. And we see the Church start to grow. Today, what do we see happening after Easter? Do people go back to their everyday lives? Do they come back to church the next week? Are things different? It seems like the church continues their regularly scheduled series after Easter and we go back to living our lives the way it has always been.

I asked myself this question:

How will Easter change You?

*kyle