Vol 6 No 21 - A Good Easter

"Are you having a good Easter?"  Yeah, I know.  "Easter's come and gone, hasn't it preacher?  That was Sunday.  And, by the way, I did have a good Easter, thank you for asking."

Well...um...yeah.  About that...

We are having a good Easter.  By definition, there is no such thing as a bad Easter, for Easter is all about hope.  Easter is about hope because it is about resurrection.  Easter is about resurrection because Christ showed that death does not necessarily have the final say.  We are having a good Easter because we are people of the resurrection who know that our HOPE is found in the promise of tomorrow.

We are having a good Easter because the resurrection is not about a day, or a singular event.  The resurrection is about giving life, eternal life, starting now.  We are having a good Easter because through Christ's resurrection we are called to participate in the Kingdom of God NOW; it's not something we make a decision for then bide our time until we quit respirating and THEN enter into God's Kingdom.

We are having such a good Easter we remember that we gather for worship every Sunday morning partly in remembrance that it was on the first day of the week that Christ arose from the grave.

It was great to see so many of you in worship here, and in the church universal for Easter; my hope and prayer is that you continue to make worship at Easter a vital point in your life.  To that end, see you Sunday, here or with the church wherever you may be located.  When we worship together no matter the week or the specific emphasis of that Sunday, we are gathering as Easter people, reminded once again of the miraculous joy of the resurrection.

Grace and Peace,

Lamar

Vol 6 No 20 - No Shortcuts

A dear friend of mine told today of the most memorable Easter sermon he ever heard.  It consisted of five words: "He is Risen.  Alleluia.  Amen."  Then the preacher sat down.

Notice I did not say it was the best, merely the most memorable.

Why was it memorable?  It got to the core of the day's message - He is Risen.

As much as I am anxious to get to our celebration of Easter Sunday, as much as I am ready to proclaim the message, "He is Risen," we have a journey to continue before we get there.  A journey that we began on the first Sunday of Advent, when we first started to anticipate the coming of the Messiah.  A journey that we continued as we welcomed the Christ child into the world.  A journey that led us through the Christmas season and into they joy of Epiphany, when the world acknowledged through the wise men the reality of Christ's authority.  A journey that went through celebrating the transfiguration of Christ, where God identified Christ as his Son, the beloved, with whom he was well pleased.  A journey that brought us through the penitence of Ash Wednesday and the prayerful introspection and reflection of the Lenten season of sacrifice and self-denial.  A journey that we continued as we sang Hosanna! in observance of the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday.

This is journey that will lead us into the Upper Room, where Christ tells us to break the bread and drink the cup in remembrance of him, exhibiting the essential Christian nature of humility and service through his loving hospitality of the disciples that evening.

This is a journey that will bring us to Christ's final hours, where through the excruciating and tortuous actions of his arrest, conviction, and execution the power of evil was defeated once and for all.

This is a journey that will take us to the empty tomb, where we proclaim the simple message: "He is Risen.  Alleluia.  Amen."

And prepare for the next part of the journey.

Grace and Peace,

Lamar

P.S.  While part of the journey has already been completed, it's not too late to bring others along, or yourself if you haven't been riding with us up to this point.  Remember, Easter Sunday makes no sense without Holy Thursday and Good Friday to provide context.

Vol 6 No 19 - Not Too Late!

Going into the last Lenten Luncheon of this season today, I have been reminded of those commercials that say something along the lines of, "It's NEVER too late to start planning now for your retirement.  Call us today!"

I bring you good news!  It is not too late to start planning for Easter.  It is not too late to start being prepared by God's grace for the joy of the resurrection.  Yes, it's true.  Even if you have put it all off until now.  That is one of the great things about the community of faith - we are about helping one another prepare for the greatest high holy days of the Christian year.  The first thing to remember, in fact, when trying to prepare for ANY day, is that you are not alone; we have been given the gift of the church precisely because we cannot do it alone.

From Wednesday activities to the joy of Palm Sunday worship and fellowship to the great feast that is Holy Thursday to the poignant and necessary remembrance on Good Friday, we have ample opportunity to be prepared for the joy of Easter.

Wherever you are, remember that Easter's coming.  Allow yourself to truly appreciate the joy of that great day by joining in the journey.  

This is what Lent is all about.  This is what the church is all about.  This is why we have been called together as the community of faith.  To prepare and to be prepared to recall once again Christ's saving work and participate fully in thought, word, and deed.

Grace and Peace,

Lamar

NOTE: For a full list of the activities referenced above, visit http://bit.ly/gNt5Rg

Vol 6 No 18 - Don't Forget

I looked up, and it was Wednesday again; time to write the Mid-Week Message.  How did I miss it?

There is not a one of us who has not gotten so caught up in life that certain things that mean so much to us seem to pop up out of nowhere because we have allowed ourselves to be completely distracted.

Fact of the matter is this is one of the great joys of the Lenten season.  We, the church, take the Great Three Days that conclude on Easter so seriously that we intentionally work for 40 days to prepare for them.  In many ways, this is at the core of Lent - the faithful ordering their lives in such a way that we cannot be surprised by the arrival of Easter Sunday.

How many times have you looked up at the calendar and said, "How did this get here so fast?  I haven't had time to get ready for it?"

May we be people who so order our lives that we are not surprised by the arrival of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, but eagerly and hopefully await their arrival.

See you Sunday (and Wednesday)!

Lamar