In Hindsight - Vol. 5

He is risen! I have to say, that was one of the more unusual Easter's I've ever had. Not a lot on the surface was different; we still "went" to church and even dressed up (a tradition upheld at the insistence of my children), we still talked about the Easter story, we still did an Easter egg hunt, we still had ham for dinner. The big difference? We did all those things at home behind closed doors.

I grew up in the church and was a pastor's kid. I rarely missed a Sunday at church, and never once stayed home on an Easter Sunday. Instead, we were often the first ones at church (even for the sunrise service!). Being at home on an Easter was weird, there's no two ways about it.

At the end of the day, after putting the kids to bed I finally took some time to reflect on the day. I realized that in some ways it was closer to the experience of Jesus' disciples than I've ever experienced. Easter morning they didn't gather together in celebration but were instead behind closed doors, scared and confused. I can't imagine how long and dark that Friday to Sunday felt. Once Sunday morning did arrive, everything changed. The resurrection of Jesus gave them an opportunity to view their circumstances radically different.

In what ways does the resurrection of Jesus allow us to view our circumstances differently? Truthfully, it doesn't change the fact that we're stuck at home. But if we can shift our gaze and instead view all of life through the lens of the resurrection, things do change. Whatever we face now is dwarfed by the glory that we will face in eternity. No, that doesn't erase the difficulty of right now, but it offers something that is so incredibly powerful; hope. Don't take my word for it; take His Word. "For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the thing that are unseen are eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

We have a hope that is bigger than anything we face today, tomorrow, or into the future.

In Him,
Pastor Michael