I guess it is safe to assume that almost all of us had an unusual Easter holiday
this year. Worship was online, so there was no one to greet or touch. I cannot remember NOT being present in worship for Easter Sunday. In addition, most traditional family gatherings were canceled this year. We have a large ham in our refrigerator, enough for all the Schuermanns who might have gathered. We didn’t get to hide Easter eggs this year either. But we did talk to the children and grandkids via ZOOM, which was helpful but still not the same. The big ham only slightly eaten reminded us of what—and who-- we were missing.
Once, many years ago, I read an article by New Testament scholar Dominic Crossan. The
article stated, quite profoundly, that Easter is not just one day. When Christ was raised
from the dead, that act changed everything forever. Every day was Easter because life was changed by the power of the resurrected Christ. By this line of thinking, it is impossible to miss Easter. Since the resurrection changed everything, a new way of living was conceived and made possible. This new way of life is captured by Paul in the verses below. To get ready for worship, read and meditate on Sunday’s scripture:
Philippians 2:3-8 The Message (MSG)
He Took on the Status of a Slave
2 1-4 If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
5-8 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
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Your True Friend,
Kurt
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