It Has Only Just Begun
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
—Matthew 28:18-20
Friends,
Part of the challenge of modern life is that great holidays like Christmas and Easter are often experienced as finish lines. There is an enormous build up and anticipation, and then when the day arrives there is a celebration. The effect of this is that on the Monday after Easter or December 26th we are ready to clean up the confetti, recycle the paper and turn the page to what is next. The problem is Christmas and Easter are more properly understood as starting gates for God-centered adventures rather than an end to a season. Traditionally, the 12 days of Christmas start on December 25th, and Easter is not a single Sunday but a 50–day season.
As much as I love the wisdom of church tradition, the real issue isn’t getting our calendars correct. If Easter and the Resurrection of Jesus open a new world and new life to us, what is God calling us to begin now that death and sin no longer reign over us? What is possible; what could we start; who could we bless; and what can we build?
These are Resurrection questions, and they point us forward as we find our place in the invasion of Earth by the power of heaven.
Happy Easter, Friends! It has only just begun!
Blessings,
Pastor Ben