Easter is the celebration of the amazing news that: “He is risen!”
In the history of the Church, Easter was an event for which one prepared weeks in advance. Unfortunately, this time of Lent (the 40 days prior to Easter) has become known primarily as a time to ‘give up something’. So, my encouragement to you is to use this next week as a time to prepare well to hear again the good news that “He is risen!”
We know that the Gospel is not a series of statements to which we adhere but is the power of salvation (Romans 1) that transforms a hope-less life into one with the firm assurance that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of Christ.
And Easter is the culminating event in the year of all those daily reminders of the price He paid to redeem us and the natural outpouring of our life in service to Him for His gift of grace in saving us.
So how might we prepare to hear again those incredible words: “He is risen”? There are many helpful Lenten devotionals (see the recent Wellness Wednesday) which would guide you in your preparation. However, I want to emphasize an element which is sometimes lost in our preparation: community. Preparing for Easter is both an individual and community activity. However, when we forget the community aspect, we deprive ourselves of the depth of insight and support that comes from sharing in this preparation for Easter together. This could be in one’s, small group, team, family or local community of believers.
One of the Church Fathers, in his Lenten devotional, wrote: “The Christian, I say, sees all that, and confessing to himself his impossibility to free himself in his own strength from the venom of sin, and to acquire by his own means a virtue so pure and so perfect, he falls in lowliness of heart before the throne of God’s grace and exclaims: Lord and Master of my life, keep from me a spirit of idleness, of listlessness, of ambition, and of idle talking. But grant me, Thy servant, a spirit of temperance, of humility, of patience and of love!” It is interesting to note that each of the elements he mentions for confession or growth is community related. In other words, the activity becomes an area of struggle or growth because it involves his/her engagement with others.
Practically, what might this look like? Here are a few recommendations. Feel free to share others by sending a note to me and I’ll post those ideas as a blog post.
- Share an insight you gained in your recent Lenten devotional or Bible reading with another. Tell him/her how that insight is helping prepare your heart for the celebration of Easter.
- Read out loud with others one of the many texts surrounding the crucifixion and resurrection (Matthew 27:32-56; 28:1-10).
- Take the time to reflect with another on one of the many works of art which depict the resurrection or the events following. Talk to one another about what this particular work of art tells you about Christ and His resurrection.
Filed under: Community, Remembrance, Resurrection | Leave a comment »
Thoughts Along The Journey 
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