Yes, Easter was two days ago. I felt now was the appropriate time to write an Easter post. However, a quick recap in that my wife returned safely from her trip overseas and just like she posted almost two months ago everything was Ok. Maybe she will get time to write about it later or at least we will be able to give you a heads up on when the service where they talk about the trip.
Short Version: Lots of people were given the Gospel both in word and in deed.
Now back to Easter. I fear that many of us have already forgotten about Easter. We are now focused on the next series of events in our lives. Whether that's mother's day, memorial day, or summer vacation. This means we have also likely forgotten the promises we made to ourselves at Easter service. The message or music that inspired us was quickly drowned out of our memory by the second cup of coffee Monday morning. Easter is my favorite time of year and has been since 1998. Why 1998? That was the first year I celebrated Easter as a Christian. The joy I felt that first Easter still rings through today and I can remember being so happy that day walking around Antioch. I pray it's a joy you feel as well. However, mixed with that Joy is also a sadness. A decent number of people that I celebrated that Easter with are no longer at Antioch and several of them no longer involved with any church at all. The focus was lost. Below is a story that I didn't write that I have found floating around the internet attributed to a Guidepost from years ago.
*Begin Guidepost story*
On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often occur, there was once a crude little lifesaving station. The building was just a hut and there was only one boat, but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea and with no thought for them selves went out day and night tirelessly searching for the lost. Many lives were saved by this wonderful lifesaving station so it became famous.
Some of those who were saved and various others in the surrounding area wanted to become associated with the station and give of their time and their money and their effort for the support of its work. New boats were bought and new lifesaving crews were trained and the little lifesaving station grew.
"Some of the members of the lifesaving station were unhappy that the building was so crude and poorly equipped. They felt a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge of those saved from the sea. So they replaced the emergency cots and beds and put better furniture in the enlarged building. Now the lifesaving station became a popular gathering place for its members and they decorated it beautifully and furnished it exquisitely because they used it as sort of a club. Fewer members were now interested in going to sea on lifesaving missions so they hired lifeboat crews to do this work. The lifesaving motif still prevailed in the club's decorations and there was a liturgical lifeboat in the room where the club held its initiations.
"About this time a large ship was wrecked off the coast and the hired crews brought in loads of cold, wet, half drowned people. They were dirty and sick and some of them had black skin and some had yellow skin. The beautiful new club was considerably messed up so the property committee immediately had a shower house built outside the club where victims of shipwrecks could be cleaned up before coming inside. At the next meeting there was a split in the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club's lifesaving activities as being unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal social life of the club. Some members insisted upon lifesaving as their primary purpose and pointed out they were still called a lifesaving station, but they were finally voted down and told if they wanted to save the lives of various kinds of people who were shipwrecked in those waters they could begin their own lifesaving station down the coast a little ways, which they did.
"As the years went by the new station experienced the same changes that occurred in the old one. It evolved into a club and yet another lifesaving station was founded. History continued to repeat itself and if you visit that coast today you will find a number of exclusive clubs along the shore. Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters but most of the people drown."
*End Guidepost story*
As mentioned prior to the story there are those who have lost their focus. Maybe you are one of them. Yet because of Easter we have hope.
You know what
we really celebrate at Easter? We celebrate the fact that the worst thing that
could happen in the world has already happened with crucifixion of Christ. We
killed the Son of God. It does not get any worse than that. We also celebrate
that even our darkest depravity was overcame through the resurrection – which
means there is nothing left for us to fear. Not terrorism, homosexuals, illegal
immigration, or whoever is sitting in the Whitehouse. The basic tenant of
Christianity is that the resurrection of Christ has changed the world. When you
look at Matthew’s account of it you see earthquakes, storms and dead people
walking around Jerusalem. It signaled a new beginning. Behold he makes all
things new. Sure horrible thing still happen, as long as we are in this world
we will continue to suffer violence, chaos, and tribulation. But, because of
the resurrection of Christ, the world is set on an unalterable course toward
renewal and restoration. This is why we
have hope, because the resurrection of Christ has already changed the world,
even if the world isn’t ready to admit it yet. Remember what we celebrate and
why this Easter and every day after it.
- Glen
