Easter Sunday and Christianity in America
It’s Easter on the last day of March. That's early this year. My mom went to see her grandkids in Texas. I went to my Dad’s for lunch and caught up with my sister who's in town for the weekend. Since I’m a volunteer at church, I couldn’t head off to Texas. I probably wouldn’t have anyway. My marathon is less than a month away and I need most of Saturday morning to get in shape. Yesterday was a long day of training before I came home and slept for 2 hours.
Lazy? Perhaps, but it felt so good to crash after a hot shower. I didn’t care.
Good Friday
The night before was Church on the Move’s Good Friday
service. That’s an important one for tone and remembrance. It’s almost as
important as Easter itself, the pain and suffering Christ endured must be
juxtaposed with His glorious resurrection.
It's appropriate to be emotionally wrung out after the
ceremony. I emphasize “ceremony” and not sermon because Good Friday should be a
heavy day. Christians understand how the story finishes of course. Jesus
overcomes death and the grave for all time. He makes a spectacle of Satan’s
plans. He invites us to share the good news of salvation with the whole world. It’s
more than a heroic story told and retold for generations; it’s THE story. Christ
is Risen. He is coming back. We can encourage each other in this truth. But we
need the solemnity of Good Friday to tee up the joyous celebration of Easter.
It helps us understand what’s at stake and understand the human betrayal and suffering
of our Lord.
I offered to help with communion. Instead of the usual wafer
and juice in a sealed package they opted for real bread and juice cups near the
front of the sanctuary. Everyone lined up down the aisles and shuffled to the
front. Not the most efficient way perhaps, but they wanted a more memorable
experience. This way, communion is the last piece of the evening and also sticks
in your memory. Good Friday is about the crucifixion--Easter, the resurrection.
Communion
My job was to light
the candles and take away the empty trays when the cups ran out, an easy task
for the most part. One guy in line threw me off my game a bit however. He grabbed
the top tray and handed it to me. It still had full cups so I was confused. Then
he grabbed the next tray and tried to hand that to me. I was even more confused.
What was he doing with the trays?
His only job was to take a cup of juice, grab a piece of bread
and go back to his seat. This was too much for him. The woman in line right
behind asked if he needed help. Again, we aren’t exactly sure what he needed
help with. Eventually he answered that he did. I sensed her frustration as well.
She grabbed him a cup and placed it beside him so he could move on. I restacked
the trays, quietly laughing to myself about the absurdity of the situation. Other
than that minor hiccup, it was an emotional evening. Easter was more typical, a
hopeful sermon laced with warning about sin and death. A lot of hands went up
to receive Christ as Lord and Savior.
The next day I attended the Saturday service. It seems a
little like jumping ahead in the retelling of the story. Jesus rose on Sunday
after all. The technicality isn’t that important, what matters is the message.
The Future Faithful
I often wonder if Easter service will look different in the
future. This is more a thought exercise in what “church” might mean in general.
Will we see large churches in America (megachurches) 10 years from now? Will
persecution in this country affect the way we gather? I can’t help thinking
that major changes are coming for the country and the American Church, to say
nothing about the rest of the world. People of all walks of life are starting
to realize the corruption at the heart of a lot of institutions. I don’t mean
to say that all churches are corrupt. Too many though have traded the truth for
a lie; they’ve placed cultural trends and beliefs above Scripture.
But I can see a wave of churches refusing to go along with
government mandates that inhibit their message. The communist party in China
allows churches to exist if they register with the government. Even the Pope
made a handshake agreement with the CCP to keep the Catholic Church operational.
I can imagine a similar event here. Teach this and not that or we revoke your
tax exempt status. That won’t be enough. They’ll have to start arresting preachers
and dragging them through court. What looks like a death knell for the church will
lead to a firestorm of converts. This is traditionally how the church grows, in
persecution. We’ll have left the 4 walls and come up with new ways to reach the
lost.
Conclusion
What sounds like an ominous warning of darker days can turn
out to be the transition the church needs. In its current static (and wealthy)
state it can only grow so much. The church is the people of God after all and
not a building or a congregation on a particular Sunday morning. Wherever we
are, God is in the midst. Just like Good Friday, when all looks lost and hope
is nearly forgotten, Sunday shows up. The Church’s best days are still in front
of us.
He is Risen. Spread the Word.
No comments:
Post a Comment