April 13, 2011
Spring has sprung, baseball is in the air, temperatures are rising, flowers are blooming, and all of creation groans back awake as the earth rises from its winter slumber - time to catch that Easter fever! Easter is upon us again, a time of renewal and rejuvenation when our attention as Christ-followers focuses on the transformative miracle of resurrection. There are many great events within Christianity: the crossing of the Red Sea, the battle of Jericho, the
feeding of the 5000 (A personal favorite), turning the water into wine, the baptism of Jesus, the calming of the storm, but it is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead that is the pinnacle of our faith. Jesus Christ dies on the cross, taking the sins of the world to the grave, and three days later is raised by the power and love of God for all of God's children. Now that is an event!
And once a year we celebrate this occurrence with a week's worth of activities designed to turn our hearts to the magnitude of this happening. We start with Palm Sunday, a celebration of Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusalem. We join in the throngs of people who cheered Jesus' arrival, knowing that this same crowd will turn on him in less than a week. We then have prayer times in the chapel each day form 11 AM - 1 PM. Times for reflection and communion with God. On Thursday we celebrate Maundy-Thursday with a service remembering the last Supper of Jesus and his disciples. We break the bread together and are thankful for the table that welcomes us all. On Friday, things turn darker as we gather for Good Friday, and remember Jesus being arrested, beaten, and killed for the sins of the world. And then Sunday morning arrives, and with it our Sunrise Service, where we greet the first light of the new day with the news of the miracle; Jesus has risen, he has risen indeed! Finally we gather for our Easter celebration where we trumpet the saving grace of God and rejoice in a risen Savior for us all.
Take time this next week to be a part of all that is Easter, from the Palm Sunday procession to the Easter morning brass. This is the high holy time for Christians, the center of our liturgical calendar, the beginning and ending point of our theological being. This is the apex of our year and we must treat it as such. We are not Christians because of potlucks and committee meetings, because of bible studies and Sunday school classes, because of early or late worship times; we are Christians because God raised Jesus Christ from the grave and defeated death and sin forever. As a Christian, take time this week to reconnect with this amazing event and to refill your spiritual batteries for the long year ahead. Hallelujah He is risen! He is risen indeed!!
God Bless
Mark