Yesterday was Easter Sunday, a day when Christians celebrate the transforming power of Jesus Christ. To some, it is one of the two days of the year when you show up at a church building, because, well, it’s what you are supposed to do, or your family decides that it is the proper thing to do, or because it is something you used to do when you were a kid. To some, it is a Sunday, the same as any other Sunday, when you “go to church” and do the same things that you do every Sunday. And to some, it is a day like no other- a day that is not about the status quo, or being in a church facility, or having the perfect new clothes or hearing the perfect Easter music. It’s not about the noun, church, commonly defined as a institutional building, and scripturally defined as the followers of Christ. It’s about the verb, church- the movement of gathering together with joy and anticipation, simply to be unified in praising and thanking God- Christ centered worship, not “me” centered worship. It’s about the verb, church- the movement of Christ followers back out into the world and living out the Good News by loving, caring, sharing, giving- Christ centered living, not “me” centered living.
For whatever reason you entered the church building on Sunday, you were there. Hopefully you experienced the presence of the risen Christ in a way that moves you beyond your past and all the baggage attached to it, and moves you into a new understanding of what it means to be a Christian- not a “church goer”, but a Christ follower.
One of my favorite Easter songs is simply titled, “The Easter Song” (sung by Keith Green) and tells the story of what happened when Jesus’ disciples discovered he was no longer dead, but alive. The lyrics are a full blown proclamation of the overwhelming joy that comes when you realize even just a portion of the power and majesty of God that forever demolishes the perceived power of death and overcomes it with the real and tangible power of eternal life. I pray that you will invite the Holy Spirit in, to guide you to a deeper understanding of God’s love for you, and show you how to respond to His love by loving others with your words and actions. Happy Easter.
For whatever reason you entered the church building on Sunday, you were there. Hopefully you experienced the presence of the risen Christ in a way that moves you beyond your past and all the baggage attached to it, and moves you into a new understanding of what it means to be a Christian- not a “church goer”, but a Christ follower.
One of my favorite Easter songs is simply titled, “The Easter Song” (sung by Keith Green) and tells the story of what happened when Jesus’ disciples discovered he was no longer dead, but alive. The lyrics are a full blown proclamation of the overwhelming joy that comes when you realize even just a portion of the power and majesty of God that forever demolishes the perceived power of death and overcomes it with the real and tangible power of eternal life. I pray that you will invite the Holy Spirit in, to guide you to a deeper understanding of God’s love for you, and show you how to respond to His love by loving others with your words and actions. Happy Easter.
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