My sister, Nancy, was attending Easter Sunday morning worship at Park Slope United Methodist Church in Brooklyn, New York. Her boyfriend, Alex, who is Roman Catholic, went with Nancy to the Methodist church that particular year to celebrate Easter.

Like Christian churches all over the world, the worship service began with songs and scripture about how Jesus had been crucified and buried, but after three days, He arose from the dead. Then the pastor called the children to the front for a children’s sermon. As the little children gathered around him, the pastor asked, "What do you think of when you think of Easter?" A little boy, about 4 years of age, replied with great zeal: "Zombies!"

The congregation erupted with laughter. Alex turned to Nancy and said, "That’s almost enough to make me want to be a Methodist."

Another little boy came from Sunday School on Easter Sunday, and told his parents, "Jesus is missing." When they asked him why he said that, the boy said, "Well, the angel told the women at the tomb, ‘He is not here.’"

Actually, the angel said, "He is not here! For He has been resurrected, just as He said." (Matthew 28:6, HCSB)

All of things brings up an interesting question: Is Jesus missing from your Easter celebration? Eggs and bunnies are fun, but without Jesus, Easter is pointless. The apostle Paul wrote, "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins." (1 Corinthians 15:17, HCSB) In fact, if Jesus is missing from our Easter, then we might as well be zombies.

(Copyright 2012 by Bob Rogers. Email: brogers@fbcrincon.com. Read this column each Friday in the Herald. Visit my blog at www.bobrogers.me.)