Post Easter Relfections

I made it through another Holy Week.  It all started with Palm Sunday, continued with Maundy Thursday which included a darkening of the church, then our outdoor Sunrise Service at 6:30 am and finally our Easter Celebration.

I must admit, I have contracted yet again the post-Easter blues.  Part of the reason for the blues is everything leading up to Easter was intellectually and emotionally taxing:  final approval for our development project, construction drawings, start of the new church year, three days of interviews for ministerial candidates, pastoral reports, and last but not least, Holy Week preparation.  Then it all comes to an end with a sense of emptiness and fatigue.

But the deeper reason, I am find myself infected with the post-Easter blues is the knowledge that I can never give expression to the beauty of the gospel.  My words and our liturgy are ultimately lacking.  They fall short of God's glory and grace.

I'm not suggesting that we necessarily failed, though that might be partially true. We can always learn and do better, but that is not what I mean when I say our words and our liturgy fell short.  What I mean can be stated in two simple sentences:  First, I REALLY believe in the beauty of the gospel.  Second, I never adequately communicate it's beauty.  

Think about:  The Gospel is beautiful.  It is glorious.  God in Christ serving us (John 13), reconciling the world unto himself (2 Corinthians 5:18).  God in Christ assuming human form, suffering the full weight of sin, evil and death (2 Corinthians 5:21).  God in Christ going before us in suffering, death and resurrection (Romans 8:29).  God in Christ in hell to break the power of hell (1 Peter 3).  God in Christ submitting to his own judgement to make things right; after all, forgiveness is not enough, sin must be dealt with (Romans 3:21-26).

Then there is the resurrection which announces that God's kingdom of peace has truly begun (Acts 10).  You see, sin, evil and death could not keep Christ in the grave.  God's intention to heal are greater than the worst that can happen (Romans 8, Revelation 1:5).

Equally amazing is wonderful reality that the gospel makes emotional sense.  It matches our needs perfectly. We are broken, we need to be healed (1 Peter 2:24).  We break others; we need forgiveness and hope for healing for our loved ones.  We long for joy, and the gospel promises joy (Philippians 4).  We want to love, and Christ give us the means to love (1 John 3, John 15).  We believe our love is eternal, and the gospel announces that love is eternal (1 John 4).  We want peace, we need peace; the gospel promises us peace (Romans 5:1-5), even in suffering.

It's so beautiful.  So beautiful that words fail.  On Easter Sunday (and all other Sundays for that matter) we are trying to say the unsayable.  Our words can only point as God draws us to experience the truth firsthand.

The question remains, Did we hear and understand, with our hearts?  . . . Time will tell, time will tell.

Peace