Possibly even before Lent had begun, I began to see new colorful banners outside of some churches advertising their Easter service - or services, because they expect so many people. It’s a great thing that people come to church on Easter. We should all be excited by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. What would the church be without the resurrection? Probably nothing at all. The resurrection of Jesus is the basis, not only of our hope for personal resurrection, but for confidence that God really is working out His plan of salvation for us and for the world today.
It’s not surprising that people rush to Easter just like they do to Christmas. But what kind of faith would we have if we only knew these two stories? Pretty hollow, I think. And our Bible would be quite short. We would have a beginning and an end but no story in between. It’s the story in between that gives meaning to the beginning and ending. Have you ever read one of those short obituaries that says: “So-and-So was born on Oct. 20, 1948 and died on June 23, 2015. A memorial service will be held at…” Like their life was empty and meant nothing at all. How terrible that would be! We know a person through their life. And we know Jesus through a daily walk with him, through all the good and bad, to the dawn of Easter morning.
In these ongoing days of Lent, we are learning and experiencing the life of Jesus and the stories that help us to faithfully interpret both Christmas and Easter. Being a Christian, being a follower of Jesus Christ, means that we actually spend time with him, getting to know him, taking his words and teachings seriously and putting them into practice in our lives. That’s what disciples do. Lent is one of those times that helps us keep our feet on the ground and not jumping from one big moment to another without know why they are important.
There are some great times coming up, but there are some great times in between as well. I hope you are all learning and growing in ways that will make this Easter Sunday the best ever!
Blessings,
Mark <><