First Church Family:
After worship on Palm Sunday, I sat in my office processing the experience of our Passion Play in worship. I was moved by the dramatic reading of the Gospel account of Jesus’ last days, and the music that accompanied the service.
At the close of our time together, we observed and long uncomfortable silence, reflecting on how Jesus suffered and died on the Cross.
This coming week, we will have the opportunity to experience what many scholars believe to be the most realistic portrayal of Jesus’ last days by seeing: “The Passion of the Christ” together in the theater. That Maundy Thursday event will be followed by Holy Communion.
Then on Good Friday, we will recall the Procession of the Cross to the site of the crucifixion (and have the opportunity to walk with, and even carry, the cross for a moment.) At the end of the Procession, we will again remember Jesus’ death!
And then, we will wait. Would Jesus’ death be the end of things, for Him and His disciples, and for us—those who long for hope in a world filled only with despair?
Three days later, on Easter morning, we will gather to recall God’s answer to our longing: the Resurrection of His One and Only Son from the dead!
Paul reminds us of the importance of Easter in a world that without Jesus is devoid of hope. “If Christ be not raised from the dead,” he wrote, “then our faith is in vain.” (1 Corinthians 1:14)
Our observance of Easter is not just a mere recollection of the central events of Christianity; it is a life-giving sacrament and sign of hope, realized in our lives!
On Easter, I will make an extra offering to God in response to His gift of eternal life to all who would believe – and I encourage you to do the same.
It is a concrete way for us to offer sincere thanks to our Heavenly Father for not abandoning us because of our sin, and instead offering us the gift of eternal life through the Resurrection.
May you receive the boundless gift of Easter blessings,
Pastor Dave Melton