Category: Uncategorized

For a long time the people of God met and worshiped together on the 7th day of the week.  This made sense, because the concept of “Sabbath” (rest) had been patterned by God.  Given to us as a gift, God knew we needed a regular reminder to slow down, pause, and re-orient our lives around thankfulness to Him.  An entire day to exist differently, that it may be our regular “time tithe” we offer to God.  The sabbath was also, in a way, a celebration and affirmation of God’s act of Creation, because on the “7th Day” of that creation, He sabbathed.

Fast forward thousands of years.  The people of God and all of creation experience and bear witness to the beginning of “New Creation” with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We don’t believe Jesus simply “came back from the dead”, as if his blood simply began flowing again.  We believe Jesus was given His resurrection body ahead of all of us (“firstborn from among the dead”), and stands as God’s firstfruits of New Creation.  In the life of Jesus, his actions and words were all about bringing Heaven and Earth together.  In His resurrected body, we see it is not only occurring as event, but exists as being.

With the birth of “New Creation” on the first day of the week (the resurrection), we were transformed to “1st Day Sabbath” people.  This is a large part of why we worship on Sunday’s now, proclaiming that we people who are being made new.  We desire New Creation, and look forward to the resurrection of all people, and coming together of Heaven and Earth that has already begun, and will be completed someday.

All of that to say – Easter is a big deal for us Jesus-followers.

It seems like a bit of a let-down to have a period of 40 days (Lent) leading up to Easter; only to wear our bonnets and find our eggs, go out to brunch, and wear a new tie for a day.  It surely can’t only be about inviting new people to church that Sunday, and sitting with friends and family who haven’t been to church since Christmas.  That’s not much of a celebration.  Even if we tag on an Easter ham waiting back at home.

Since our family is pretty low on home-made pyrotechnics, and the yacht we ordered still hasn’t come in – we’ve been celebrating“Easter Week” in our home.  There are 5 people in our home, and 5 weekdays.  Each person gets to pick a day, and insert something special to celebrate Easter that day.  (Happy Easter Thursday, by the way!!)

So far this week: we’ve built an awesome blanket fort that we camped overnight in, we’ve gone to the zoo, we ordered stuffed crust pizza, went to Claire’s to pick out some fun cheap jewelry, and made “Get Well” cards for a neighbor.  And it’s only Thursday!!!  Looking forward to what is yet to happen this week, and I want to challenge you to give another burst of celebration this week to the amazing fact that New Creation has begun!!!

I often find myself in the position parents all throughout time have been in, explaining a large word or concept to my 4 year old in ways she can grasp. The word we were discussing was the word “patience”. A word her daddy needs to work on every bit as much as she does. The phrase I came up with to help her understand was simply, “patience means it’s okay to wait”.

We’ve just arrived at “Easter Week”, something we’ve been waiting through the 40 days of Lent to arrive at. In Exodus 24, God calls Moses to the mountain to meet with him. Moses goes, and ends up having to wait 6 days before God reveals himself. As they’re meeting together on the mountain, the people of God find themselves waiting 40 days and 40 nights, and they grow impatient. It seems not only here, but throughout scripture, God’s people should be those who not only “know how” to wait well, but look forward to those times of waiting.

This seems to be appropriately against the normal pace of an instant gratification world. The culture of hurry, and filled schedules. It also connects well with the season of Lent we’ve just journeyed through. We wait, and deny ourselves certain things until the celebrations of Easter week. We know there will be much to celebrate, and what we will celebrate together gives us strength and reason to remain faithful today.

The people of God in Exodus 24 lost sight of that. In chapter 32, we read a disappointing scene where God’s people have lost patience in waiting for Moses. In their impatience, they’ve created an idol to give them spiritual gratification immediately. I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say, many times we Jesus-loving church goers find ourselves with the same desire for instant spiritual gratification.

But what about the faithfulness of God that comes after a period of waiting? All of creation waited for Christ to come, and oh how things have changed! The people of God wandered in the wilderness, waiting to enter the promised land. Jesus spent his time in the wilderness, being tempted by Satan and spending time apart with God – preparing him for his earthly ministry. Noah and his family waited through the storms, and waited even beyond that for the water to recede, in order to experience the covenant living of God. Abraham and Sarah waited quite longer than they expected, to experience the beginning of God’s faithfulness to His word.

In each of these, the wait was much more than “okay”.

May we be people who are not only experienced in, but filled with anticipation by…waiting on the Lord. May God move in our lives in celebration of Easter and Resurrection Life this week – and as we live as people made new – we high five our kids. It’s definitely okay to wait..

“Father!” he cried out again.
A son in anguish and pain, through clouds as dark as rain
Crowds below in mourning, soldiers in celebration
The hopes of a nation beaten down by powers
And now after several hours, not sure what to do.
The temples curtain torn in two.

As they continued to ask “Who?”
Who was this man we thought we knew?
Pointing fingers at them, me, and you.
Passing the blame in one moment and the next letting it go
Trying not to let it show
As the guilt began to grow, that maybe…just maybe…he didn’t belong on death row.

Maybe he really was divine, maybe that’s why the sun lost it’s shine
And as the hill of Golgotha was climbed, all of nature seemed to mourn.
And when the curtain was torn, it was more than just a sign.

As dots were connected, they saw this was expected
He’d been carrying his cross now for years.
Their tears ran like confessions down faces
As they discovered empty places once filled with hope, trying to cope,
clinging to rope that was slowly slipping away. Knowing today, everything changed.
Changing things had always been His way.

From water into wine, and from darkness into shine
The lame walked, the mute talked, and he gave sight to the blind
No one could find a man like this, but betrayed by a kiss
They were still waiting for trumpets to arrive.

And before he breathed his last he spoke, words most likely choked
through a body that was broke.
Words that shattered misconceptions, and removed power from the powers
Like clocks without the hours, or Kingdoms without towers
Like foolish men with houses built on sand, or pictures in hand of non-existing lands
The soldiers that stand listened to this man, and were humbled.
As the words that tumbled offended their ears, as he spoke through his tears..

“Father into your hands I commend my spirit.”
And it almost hurt to hear it.

They realized this man who they’d stopped from livin’
It seemed his life hadn’t been taken,
It was given.