|
From Rev. Brock Patterson
"Are You Ready?"
Are you ready for Easter? It doesn’t quite have the same ring as, “Are you ready for Christmas?” Easter is a distant second place to Christmas, or at least, as far as Holidays are concerned.
What do you think? Why is Easter so distant from Christmas? I’m guessing it’s because retailers and auto manufacturers just can’t get traction in the Spring like they can in the Winter. Or, it may have something to do with the dominance of Christmas music over the airwaves or the plethora of Christmas-related films and shows.
I don’t think Santa has that big of an advantage. Like my youngest child, I was scared of Santa for a long time, but I was never scared of the Easter Bunny. In fact, as a child, I used to awaken early on Easter with my rifle across my lap, just in case I could pull off a quick shot. Rabbits are good eatin’, and I figured that big rabbit could feed us for a while.
(Not really. Just kidding. But as a young boy from the country, the thought may have crossed my mind more than once).)
The above information is meant to be witty and slightly funny. Kinda’ sad, huh? We really know why Easter isn’t as important as Christmas: It’s all about the stuff. I like stuff. You like stuff. Together, we like more stuff. I don’t mean to rain on our Christian parade, but really, if we didn’t have the trees, presents, and all the yummy food, would we really give Christmas that much attention?
Yes, we’re also very aware that the birth of a baby is a whole lot more exciting than a crucifixion, but I would think that a resurrection would rank awfully high, wouldn’t you? I mean, really, babies are born every day but resurrections don’t seem to occur very often.
But I digress. My intent was really to just ask you if you were ready for Easter yet. Have you chosen your outfit to wear? Have you decided which Easter service (Sunrise or Sanctuary) to attend, and have you made your meal reservations yet? Do you have family or friends joining you, and if so, have you changed the sheets yet from your last visitor?
Yeah, our list to prepare for Easter isn’t nearly as long as our Christmas list. That’s good. I think we can all agree that Easter is much easier for lots of reasons. Easter is also not nearly as expensive, and it doesn’t create the logistical nightmares of shopping, cooking, and running errands.
Thankfully, we don’t have to choose between Christmas and Easter. We are able to experience and enjoy both of them. A resurrection may not have the same impact on our everyday culture as a new baby, but we recognize that without Easter, Christmas doesn’t really matter.
Easter is humble. Easter is quiet. Easter doesn’t wave banners and doesn’t require us to break the bank to enjoy it.
Maybe that’s why Easter is so incredibly special. We aren’t forced into accepting it. God gives us a choice: Believe it, or not. The choice is ours because God so loved the world that He made a way to save all of it, both now and forever.
Are you ready for Easter? Are you ready for The LORD? Even if we aren't sure, God is ready for Us. Join us this week at The Chapel!
God Bless, Brock.
| 
