5 Thoughts About Easter

I have to admit that this year, more than any other year it seems, Easter has crept up on me. My excuse is that our church just finished Missions Conference this past Wednesday, but truthfully Easter has been on the calendar for a while now. Every year I truly enjoy reflecting on the passion week of Christ, which climaxes with the empty tomb that proved His victory over death and hell. As I have matured in the faith, I have come to love Resurrection Sunday probably more than any other Sunday because of what it stands for (yes, even more than Potluck Sunday and Old Fashioned Sunday). Over the past few days, I’ve noticed some changes that this time of year seems to bring about in my daily routine. The longer I thought about this, the more the Holy Spirit impressed on my heart that these changes, while great for the week which commemorates the Cross and the Resurrection of Christ, are areas that He desires me to seek His fullness in on a regular basis.

1. My Meditation

It’s been in the back of my mind for about two weeks now. Palm Sunday, the betrayal of Judas, the denial of Peter, the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus standing before Pilate, the mob crowd shouting for His crucifixion, the nails, the darkness, the borrowed tomb…these thoughts have been bouncing around in my mind whenever I’m doing, well, anything.

Being born and raised in the country on a dairy farm, I enjoy being outdoors, especially this time of year. For me, the fresh air and the engaging of my physical strength in some task seems to relax my mind. Usually that’s when I come up with my best ideas (like transforming the top level of our three-story parking garage into a go-kart track!) Typically, I will think ahead to sermon preparation, youth activity planning, or which game I’m going to tackle next on my Playstation 4. But as we were doing some sprucing up for Resurrection Sunday earlier this week, it seemed that my meditation kept returning to what Easter is all about. The cross, the tomb, the resurrection…the freedom from death we can now have in Christ! If I could encourage anyone reading this who is in need of a blessing to meditate on what Christ has done for us, I promise you won’t be the same! How it blessed me to reflect on the life we have in Christ.

As I continued mindlessly blowing the leaves and pine needles off of one of the lower roofs of our church, the Holy Spirit spoke to me in His still small voice. “What if you thought of the sacrifice of Christ not just one week of the year, but every week? What if you reflected on the love of the Father not just now and then, but every day?” Immediately I thought of the words of the psalmist in Psalms 119:97, "O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day." And there with my air of spirituality for thinking on the cross of Christ and the empty tomb, I realized that I wasn’t nearly as spiritual as I thought I was. Would to God that I would be as faithful in my meditation of Him every week! But not only do I find that Easter affects my meditation, but it also affects…

2. My Preparation

Just about two weeks ago, my wife and I went shopping for our Easter “outfits”. I put outfits in quotations, because for me that’s a shirt and tie. I have a pair of black and brown dress shoes, I have a black and brown belt, I have a black suit, a blue suit, and a gray suit…in a guy’s world, I am set for life! Therefore to me, a new “outfit”, simply consists of a new shirt and tie. My wife on the other hand, is different. An outfit can be any number of items. At times it includes a blouse (that’s a fancy word for a shirt, fellas), skirt, scarf, and shoes. Other times it includes a sweater. Other times it includes shoes (did I say that one already?) Other times it includes a blazer. Other times it includes a manicure. Needless to say, guys and girls are different.

Either way, my point is that I am prepared for Sunday. My shirt and tie have been picked out and ironed. My heart has been prepared by my meditations. My spirit is in tune with the Holy Spirit. I am prepared, because it’s Easter. But is any other day in the house of the Lord less important? Is any other day that the Lord has allowed me to wake up with breath in my lungs any less worth serving Him? How convicting, but how freeing if we apply these truths.

3. My Conversation

Often when we see the word conversation, we immediately think of the words we say. But the truth of the matter is that our conversation is not just the words that we say, but the life that we live.

I ran an errand to Lowes today, and as I pulled out of the parking lot and back onto the main road, I came upon a man and woman who had run out of gas and their truck was stalled in the intersection. Since I had been meditating on Christ and my heart was prepared to be Jesus to someone else, I pulled over into the nearest parking lot and ran back to help them push the truck out of the intersection. As I ran up, another car had slowed down and let out a young man who was volunteering his services. Together we pushed the truck into the nearby parking lot, and then I drove the stranded man to the nearest gas station. Thankfully he had a gas can in the back of his truck. I didn’t ask him but it made me wonder if he knew he might not make it to the gas station. Either way, I was able to hand the man an Easter invitation. As I drove away, I thought about how, because I was just running to the hardware store, I simply had on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Most days when I hand out Easter invitations, I’m in a shirt and tie. But this gentleman and his wife could have cared less about what I was wearing. It dawned on me that while it is important to make sure that I look like a Christian, it’s as important to make sure that I act like a Christian. Our conversation (verbal and visual) should reflect the truth of the Resurrection all year long.

4. My Anticipation

The definition of anticipation is, “a feeling of excitement about something that is going to happen; an eagerness; a looking forward to; an expectation of great things to come.” I’m excited about the services tomorrow. I’m excited to hear the sermon that the Lord has laid on the heart of Pastor Pope. I looking forward to seeing Christian brethren who will be blessed by the worship we will engage in tomorrow. I’m eager to meet new visitors, people who may for the first time ever experience the freedom we share in Christ. I am expecting a great time of worship, inspiration, and reflection…but what if I felt this way every Sunday? What if you did? The truth of the matter is we ought to. Church should be the highlight of our week. We should wake up on Sundays with anticipation that the Lord has something in store for us…not just for everyone else. The invitation shouldn’t be the time we look at our watches, or our phones, or our neighbor, but the time we look inwardly to ask the Lord to, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalms 139:23-24)

5. My Participation

Statistics prove that the two highest attended services of the average church are around Christmas and Easter. (Interesting tidbit: Some people call these less-than-average-attendees “Chreasters.”) The truth of the matter is, we all do our very best to make sure that we are in church on Easter. We plan and prepare. We appreciate it when the Pastor does as well and the message is timely and on the Cross or the Resurrection. You see, we participate on Easter because we understand that it’s the least we can do. It’s our “reasonable service”, as Romans 12:1-2 says. The choir shows up because everyone wants to sing on Easter. The worship service is full because on Easter Dad and Mom won’t take no for an answer…everyone is going to church. People invite their co-workers and, much to their surprise, they show up. Pictures are taken. Everyone is in his or her Sunday best because, well, it’s Easter!

And that’s when it hit me. Every day is Resurrection day. Every day is the day when I should realize that Christ died for me, a truth that empowers me to live for Him through the Holy Spirit. He should be my meditation everyday. His glory should be the motivation for my preparation every day. My conversation should daily be a reflection of Him. I should greet His path and plan for my life with a daily anticipation that rivals any other person and vocation in the world. Finally, my participation in His church should not be limited to Sunday’s and Wednesday’s…I should be a living extension of the body of Christ every day!