A First!

One of the things that I love to say during children’s sermons on the Sundays following Easter Sunday is “Happy Easter.” I usually get a response of incredulity from one of the children. “It’s not Easter,” they will often say.

Well, it is! And while it is easy to forget that it is a season, Easter often quickly fades away from our memories as we move on in our churchy rituals and our rites of Spring. Far too quickly, we forget that moment when we hear that Christ is Risen.

Unfortunately, Easter that falls this early only leads to people taking an early break from church. It is easy to forget our joy, it is easy to forget that it is Easter. There is much to be done as Easter people as we proclaim the wonder of the resurrection.

On Easter Sunday, I shared a message with you about experiencing Easter like it was the first time. I was encouraging us to think about what it was like for those who first approached the empty tomb and heard that Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified, was not there. If you remember from the Gospel of Matthew, the women who visited the tomb, left with fear and joy.

As Easter people, we are to experience our life as if we are experiencing something for the first time.

On Monday following Easter Morning, we took the kids for an adventure. They had been asking about the falls of Beaver Falls for many months and so we decided to take them to see one of them. I dared not take them to the falls between Beaver Falls and New Brighton, I think that would have disappointed. So we headed to Buttermilk Falls.

I had only seen the sign from the road, so I was completely unaware of what surrounded us. As we made our way past an historic quarry and a stream, our daughter quickly went ahead of us.

In almost a startling voice, she cried out, “Oh my Gosh – come and look at this!” Of course, we quickly made our way up the hillside and discovered what she had already seen. A truly spectacular scene!

A waterfall; God-created, flowing, living, and breathtaking. It was unexpected and truly a joyful experience for all of us.

Hopefully, you are experiencing Easter in the same way. A joyful experience of newness, a resurrection that is God created, living, breathtaking, and wonderful. I hope that you will experience the spring that is being revealed to us each day this week, with newness and joy, and even a bit of fear.

Happy Easter!

Please pray for me, and know that I am praying for you.
Greg

Is It Spring Yet?

On the way out of church on Sunday, there was a flurry in the air. As I let out a rather loud sigh, I was reminded that it wasn’t but a few months ago that I was celebrating snow. Now it seems in many ways that I am now contradicting myself with my lament. The truth is that we do live in Pittsburgh and we should expect this kind of weather. It was just 15 years ago that we experienced the Blizzard of ’93 on March 13. So with just a few flurries in the air, I shouldn’t be complaining.

As I sighed, I tried to explain that the earlier post about winter is all true. I love snow, and I love winter. But there comes a time in the season when that feeling wears off and I begin to look forward to spring. Regardless of what the furry rodent says, I am never ready for spring on February 2nd. But now I am.

But this year, I am more anxious for spring than other years. I think it has to do with several things. The first is the time change that already happened. This is the second year that we’ve experienced the earlier shift. Couple that with what is the earliest Easter in my lifetime and I think that I am growing anxious. In previous years, spring happens on its usual day, and I probably wouldn’t think twice about it. But for some reason, daffodils are an early signal of spring, and that hasn’t even happened yet. I’m anxious for spring and an early Easter is the capstone of the entire feeling.

But warm weather and sunshine will have to wait. We have a week of rain, snow, and low pressure systems in the forecast.

Sunday is Easter. It is earlier than ever before in my lifetime, but nonetheless it is Easter. I am anxious, but like the warm weather, I will have to wait. For before the Easter Celebration is the rain, snow, and low pressure system of Holy Week. Before Easter, Jesus Christ must go through the pain and agony of the cross. He must go through it – so that we can get to Easter. We too have to go through it.

One of my favorite hymns talks about this spring and Easter moment for us, “Hymn of Promise.” While the hymn best talks about the hope of resurrection that awaits us all as part of God’s plans in eternity, I think it speaks well to the promise of Spring and the promise of Easter as well.

In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, and apple tree; in cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free! In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see. (Words by Natalie Sleeth).

It’s Winter, but Spring is just around the corner. It’s Holy Week, and Easter is coming!

My prayer is that you will experience Holy Week in a whole new way this year, either through scripture reading, attending a production with your children, or even in worship. Come and share in the experience of winter, so that when Sunday arrives, you can celebrate the good news that God has overcome death, the victory that is unrevealed until its season. God sees it, and I hope that you experience it new this year.

Please pray for me, and know that I am praying for you.
Greg

Not the day we expected

On this Easter morning, when the temperatures are not what we expect for April, I am reminded of that first morning when the Disciples arrived at the tomb of Jesus. It was no the day that they expected!

Jesus has triumphed over the grave!

Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen Indeed!

Help us to accept everything that we hear from your Word this day, O Christ. Help us to believe, help us to live. Thank you for the empty tomb, and thank you for this day. Even if it isn't the day that we expected.