Verse of the Day: Love Your Enemies
“You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
- Matthew 5:43-45
What I Want for Easter
April 2, 2007 by New Zion UMC
Dear Santa,oops….errr….just who do you write to for Easter? The Easter bunny? Easter is one Christian holiday that hasn’t quite yet become overrun by the secular world, but I fear at times it is dangerously close. We begin to think of pastels and Easter dresses and hats; Easter baskets filled with eggs and chocolate rabbits (I always eat the ears first too) and jellybeans. Easter has not yet become a secular holiday, but it has become so familiar to us, that it is in danger of heading towards an insignificant one.
In our Christian year, the birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ is a single continuous story as is our journey from sin to salvation. If I could give you an Easter gift this year, it would be the ability to see Easter as it unfolds rather than heading directly to the celebration of the resurrection Easter morning. The first century followers of Christ didn’t know that there would be an empty tomb three days later; even though Jesus had spoken of His death and resurrection many times.
From the time of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem that we celebrate on Palm Sunday, the drama builds and unfolds day by day during Holy Week to the disciples and I hope, to you. Even though we now see the story through resurrection eyes, I hope that this year, we can experience Easter as the disciples first did. Before jumping headlong into the joy of Easter morning, we must first remember the saving mystery of the suffering of Christ and watch it unfold in a gradual single divine act; day by day and hour by hour. We have been redeemed once and for all through the grace of Jesus Christ and we are g4iven the privilege of entering into this time of confusion, this place of suffering, this context of betrayal and fear and pain along with the great omnipotent God who created the universe and existed since before time as He hangs from the cross; submitting to most severe agony to save you.
Can we follow the drama this Holy Week remembering that without the cross, the resurrection is pointless…and without the resurrection, the cross is pointless? Can we watch the journey through the eyes of the first followers of Christ as He cries out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” We should celebrate Holy Week as we have observed all of lent; not as if we had never been redeemed, but seeking to be conformed to the death of Christ, so that the resurrection may be more clearly shown through us by our transformation. That is part of the pilgrim journey for us. Like Jesus, in baptism, we give ourselves up to death so that we too can be resurrected. We die to sin and let go of the things that hold us captive and learn to trust in God alone, saying, “Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit.”
That’s my Easter wish for you. Complete the journey you began nearly 40 days ago. Sometimes when a story becomes too familiar, we want to jump ahead because we know how the story ends; but live it anew this year. Then, you will truly understand the joy in proclaiming on Easter Sunday what we already know is imminent but the first disciples did not; He is risen! He is risen indeed!
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