Awake, awake,
put on your strength, O Zion;
put on your beautiful garments,  Isaiah 52:1a

If this is not a call to get a new Easter dress, I don’t know what is!  Seriously, is there anything more delicious than finding that perfect Easter dress?  This precious granddaughter of mine was pretty happy with hers. I remember one year when I picked out a dress that would swirl!  And my mom got it for me!!! Along with little white gloves and a hat. I felt strong and beautiful. Dressing up for Easter is almost passé now.  We are just too sophisticated, or spiritual, to be so worldly, right?

Well, not so fast. Through the prophet Isaiah, God spoke to his wayward people, and he told them to WAKE UP and get dressed!  Do we need to wake up? Especially now, as we approach a celebration of the one single event that changed the world for good. Oh, there certainly have been world-changing events…like the Fall.  When sin entered the world and enslaved us, separated us from God. Sin covers us with filth. Sin makes us helpless and weak, powerless to improve our condition on our own. What we celebrate at Easter was the one shining moment in history, when one perfect man did the one perfect thing to change all that. Jesus is the perfect love story, and we need to wake up to His good news.

We need to wake up to strength and power that we have, not our own, but the power that comes from His spirit within us.  We are not weak in the face of sin and temptation if we are clothed with Christ. We know that the power of sin is death, but with Jesus, we have the power of life.

And yes we need to wake up to the fact that we are clothed in a beautiful garment—that very strength of the Holy Spirit who not only dwells within us but covers us and protects us. This garment gives us the strength to share the Good News no matter what else is happening in our lives.  Jesus delights to see us wearing the gift that he gave to us through the power of the resurrection. I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t mind if we just swirled for a while—just for the joy of it.

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD;
my soul shall exult in my God,
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation;
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Isaiah 61:10

(Check out “Go Deeper” for further study on this subject.)

Behold, my servant shall act wisely;
he shall be high and lifted up,
and shall be exalted.  Isaiah 52:13

For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations. Isaiah 61:11

The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will give. Isaiah 62:2