I'm leaving for Easter, got a lot of family in town. Take a moment, if you will, to think about what Easter means. God himself, who created the whole effing deal, came down for a while and hung out with a dozen losers just like us. He told them the secrets of the universe.
For being so bold, the religious parasites of his day and age arrested him, dragged him in front of the Romans because they didn't have the courage to kill him themselves, and had him crucified.
He knew it was coming, and he knew it was gonna be tough, but he went ahead despite the fact that all of his buddies deserted him and left him to suffer alone.
His last act was to forgive the sins of a murderer and a thief who realized at the last possible moment what it meant to be redeemed. If there was hope for that guy, then there is hope for all of us, even our worst enemies.
If you believe in Christ, you belong to Christ. If you belong to Christ, you are a chosen inheritor of God's expanded Covenant with Abraham. In short, you are a true Jew, as God intended the Jews to be, an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven, a Chosen Person.
On Easter Christ came back from Hell and after a while ascended back into Heaven (and of course his enemies seek to convince you that his remains have been found on Earth). Because of Easter, you have a chance to live forever.
And that's a Hell of deal. A lot more important than Christmas, folks. God bless you all, I love you all, and have a good, thoughtful Easter.