You got dressed up in your best clothes and went to church on Easter Sunday when I was a boy.

Even when I was in elementary school, I wore a coat and tie to church on Easter. Shoe stores were busy a few weeks before Easter because everyone seemed to buy a new pair of Sunday-go-to-meeting shoes to wear on Easter Sunday.

We made sure that our dress shoes were polished and shiny the day before Easter. It was a special event and we wanted to look our best,

Several times, I got a white carnation pinned to my coat on Easter to indicate that my Mother has passed away. I understood the significance and I really didn’t want to wear that flower because it was a reminder that I was going to church on Easter without my Mother.

I grew up in Tulsa Bible Church and there was no mistaking the true message of Easter. Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of mankind and He rose on the third day. Easter celebrates our resurrected Savior.

Easter is April 4 this year. It will be different for a lot of people.

Our church, First Baptist of Broken Arrow, is usually packed for three Sunday morning services on Easter. They are planning three services (8:30 a.m., 9:45 a.m. and 11 a.m at 100 W. Albany St. in Broken Arrow) but they won’t be full for two reasons. They have spaced out the chairs to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. Also, a lot of folks will not head to church on Easter but rather will stay at home and watch services on television, their home computer or cell phone. Our service will be on Channel 6 at 11 a.m.

I don’t know how people will dress but I am certain that not all the men will be wearing a coat and tie. Some will be wearing blue jeans and tennis shoes and that’s OK. I will have on a coat and tie because that is how I was raised. I don’t want anyone else to feel bad or think that I am looking down on them for what they wear.

 It’s just a different era.

When I was a child, we colored Easter eggs the night before Easter. We boiled the eggs and then used a wax pencil to mark on the eggs before we dipped them in dye that smelled like vinegar.

People used to dye baby chickens for Easter. It seemed like a fun thing to do (I never did) but it usually killed the poor little creatures and now it has been banned. That’s good.

On Easter morning, we would awaken to a set of Easter baskets for me and my four brothers. They were filled with chocolate candy and those awful-tasting marshmallow ducks plus loads of jelly beans.

When our kids were young, we made Easter baskets and gave them plastic eggs that we hid in the back yard. They had jelly beans and other candy inside the plastic eggs.

But our kids knew that Easter was not about rabbits or candy or a nice Sunday dinner. They knew the message of the Gospel and they knew the importance of a Risen Savior.

Some folks only go to church for Easter and Christmas. I wonder now if some of those don’t go at all because of the pandemic. Church used to be such an important part of family life and that has diminished.

It’s a shame that so many people go out to dinner on Easter because that means that those restaurant employees are not home with their families. In the good old days, many restaurants would close on Easter. When I was in grade school, we didn’t go to school on Good Friday. But that tradition was stopped when schools instituted a week for spring break.

Here’s why Easter is so important and why it should be a great gathering of God’s people.

The founders of every religion in the world except Christianity is dead and gone. Jesus died on the cross and miraculously, He rose from the dead on the third day.

There were hundreds of witnesses to the Risen Jesus. His followers were so struck by His resurrection that some were willing to die as martyrs to advance the cause of Christ.

Due to physical limitations, some folks are unable to attend church on Easter. It’s OK to watch it on TV. Others may be ashamed to go to church because they carry a load guilt for their sins or they may be poor and they don’t feel like they have the proper clothing for church.

But if your life, or the life of a loved one or friend, is not in tune with Jesus Christ, heading out to a church service on Easter would be a good starting point to make a turnaround. God is in the business of second chances and you might be surprised at the impact an Easter service can have on a searching heart.