Every Sunday An Easter

The other day was a difficult day.  Have you ever had one of those . . . a day in which you got some bad news, encountered a difficult situation, or when you hurt because someone else is hurting?  That’s how my day was going. 

Early in the day, a phone call came.  A woman I’ve known for over 30 years had lost her son after a long fight with cancer.  So frail, so alone, she was crushed even though it was expected.  A mother never wants to bury her child.  It hurt to see her hurt.

There were a lot of tears as I walked family toward the grave of their loved one.  It wasn’t as though there was no hope.  The family – including the deceased – are professing Christians.  They placed their hope in the death and resurrection of Jesus.  But death still hurts.  It hurt to see them hurt.

Soon after, I received word from a young man whose wife of several years had told him she was leaving him.  It hurt to see him hurt.

So much grief!  So much death!  The death of a child.  The death of a mother and grandmother.  The death of a relationship.  So often we face other deaths; the death of a dream, the death of a future hope, the death of a project. 

As I was driving out of the cemetery, amid the rows of gravestones, I came to an abrupt stop.  In the shade of the trees, a mother duck and a line of six fuzzy little ducklings were waddling across the road.  In the midst of all the death, there was evidence of life. 

That’s the joy of Easter!  In the midst of the graves and gravestones, our Lord Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and others. 

That’s our joy each Sunday.  In the midst of the death caused by sin, God’s forgiveness is pronounced.  In the midst our hurt, God’s grace and love comfort.  In the midst of our broken hearts, God brings healing.  In the midst of our sadness, God brings joy.  In the midst of our anxiety and fear, God offers His perfect peace!

All week long, we witness death and brokenness.  We hear it on the news.  We experience it our lives.  We observe it in others.  We are buffeted by storms in our lives.  We grow weary.

And then, on Sunday, we encounter our Risen Lord Jesus who comes to us in His word, reminds us of our baptism, invites us to His table, surrounds us with His people, and offers us His forgiveness, His peace, and His strength.  It’s Easter, all over again!

He is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!!

See you Sunday!!

Pastor Tim

“Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:20-21