Easter’s past, what now?

Our celebration of Easter is great, isn’t it?  Families gather.  We had our Easter dinner on Saturday.  The house was full of noise and laughter. When everybody went home, Ed, who’s 12, said, “I feel kind of empty when they leave.”   I wonder how many Christians are feeling like that this Monday morning? In churches full of people they sang with joy that ‘Christ, the Lord, is risen today!’ As the music is stilled, the sermons are over, and the flowers are forgotten, now what? 

The trauma of the Crucifixion was relieved by the drama of the Resurrection. In the Upper Room, Thomas saw the nail prints on His hands, the scar in Jesus’ side. He was alive. But, things were different now.  Jesus came and went, but their fellowship was not the same. Nor, was it supposed to be!  They had a mission and a message that had to be carried to the world.  "In one of these meetings as he was eating a meal with them, he told them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised. Remember, I have told you about this before." (Acts 1:4, NLT)  "When the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, are you going to free Israel now and restore our kingdom?” “The Father sets those dates,” he replied, “and they are not for you to know. But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:6-8, NLT)

Hopefully, in the aftermath of the Resurrection, we will not pack it all up and fall into the same old routines until next year!  My prayerful hope is that because Christ lives and we in our certainty of eternal life through Him, there will transformation in us.  Easter’s message means that life is bigger than we dreamed.  The grave is not our final resting place.  Today is not just about trying to scratch out a living and stay safe until we die! We are glorious creatures destined for a home in God’s house.  We are living as subjects of an unseen Kingdom even now!  People who are convinced of the reality of the Resurrection will fearlessly  advance Christ’s cause;  taking on injustice, working for peace, pointing out the folly of living only for creature comfort.

Jesus reminded His disciples that they were not on their own. They were empowered by the Spirit.  He had taught them this before. At the Passover meal just before He went to the Cross, He told them  that He would " ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you." (John 14:16-20, NIV)

Are you filled with the Holy Spirit?  Every Christian is given the Spirit for He is the One who gives life to us.  But, not all Christians wait to be filled with the Spirit!  On this day after, that is the next step. Pray, wait, listen, receive. In Him, there is a kind of power for living that beyond the reach of anyone else.  He brings a quality of life that is enviable; the best kind of " love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. " (Galatians 5:22-23, NIV)

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;
Wean it from earth; through all its pulses move;
Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art;
And make me love Thee as I ought to love.

-          Public Domain

-          George Croly