1 Corinthians 6:14: “And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.”
I love Easter! It is by far my favorite holiday, and it has been for many years now. Growing up, I always thought of Christmas as the “biggest holiday of the year.” For businesses this is true, but Easter has traditionally been the most important holiday for the church. I also appreciate that Easter is a much less commercialized holiday. There is less “busyness” that can sometimes take away from the central meaning of the holy day.
In addition to the slower pace, there are so many other things that I love about Easter. I love the Easter songs. I love eating pancakes at church. I love greeting each other with the triumphant victory call of “He is Risen”, and the resounding “He is Risen Indeed!”. (And due to a tense relationship with rabbits, springing from gardening frustrations, I gain a small measure of satisfaction from eating chocolate rabbit candies). I love Easter!
Easter gives perspective. It causes us to look backwards at the victory and redemption that Jesus won for us. To only look backwards, however, is to miss half of the joy of Easter. We can also look forward because of the promise that He will one day raise us from the dead also…by the same power that rose Jesus from the dead. The trials of life can seem long and hard. The prospect of the future here on Earth can seem scary or even hopeless. But none of that matters in the long run. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”(Ro. 8:18). The future will be glorious, and there is nothing in the here and now that can diminish this. All will be made new!
This future hope sustains me. It calms me. It gives me perspective and priority. Between now and then, however, we have all been given a calling…a purpose. The apostle Paul, said it this way in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” He wanted to know Christ more than anything, but then he goes on to say how he can know Him. It is both to know the power that the Holy Spirit wields while he lives inside of us, and also to suffer like Christ here on earth. It is the challenges that take place between now and eternity, that we come to know Christ more deeply. It is also through these challenges that we experience his sustaining power. In the midst of suffering, we ask ourselves: Who is this Jesus who suffers willingly? Who is this God who endures pain because of his Love for me? May I to endure suffering, out of love, in the power of the spirit, for the benefit of those around me. This is my prayer in the Easter season. May it be yours as well.
I love Easter!
Pastor Jeremy Larson
The full April newsletter can be found here.