Tomorrow is Easter, or Resurrection Sunday for those of us who have decided to distance ourselves from the bit o pagan that the centuries have tried to combine with the holiday. We call it Resurrection Sunday, and we put on our dress clothes and go to church. Sing our songs of praise, shake hands, kiss babies and spend the day Thanking God for taking a chance on some poor slobs like us.
Then if we are blessed, we will go to family and gorge ourselves. We will eat the ham (that still confuses me) the salads and the pies. We are having cake tomorrow in our family, celebrating my son's birth as well.
So as I said, here I sit and for some reason all of this ceremony has made me angry. But why? Should we not celebrate one of the greatest moments of human history? The day that our Lord made good on His promise and rose after three days in the ground. (Or in a cave, whatever you prefer)
Of course. Absolutely. There really is no other reason for this day. Bunnies and ducks be damned there IS no other reason. Then why am I so upset? Is it because that I still believe that even within the revelry we have not entirely grasped what we are celebrating?
A best friend and I were having a discussion today. She is in the process of adoption, finishing her classes to become a certified parent. I shook my head at the thought of those of us that are blessed with the ability to bare offspring freely, and yet this woman who yearns for nothing else has to have a piece of paper to say she is fit to raise a child.
It doesn't seem fair does it?
My husband and I looked into our bank account today to see that by no fault of our own, and by actually being responsible and paying our bills on time; a bank error over withdrew our account by a substantial amount of money. This happens the same day our car begins to leak antifreeze.
It doesn't seem fair does it?
A very close friend lost her father this week. A good man, faithful and devoted to his family. Closed his eyes and breathed his last on Good Friday. Three days before Easter. While celebrating the day, she will be also mourning the loss.
It doesn't seem fair at all.
What does all of this have to do with the Resurrection? Everything.
Without the act of the Resurrection this would be all we had hope for. Imagine going through a dark tunnel with no hope of the other side. Imagine sinking, slowly to your demise with no hope of rescue. Without the Resurrection, death wins.
With one breath. One single act of love everything changed. Everything was different. One act of rebellion. One Voice saying, "No, I will not allow this to be all there is." He shattered the law of death and with His blood wrote a new covenant of hope.
When I told my best friend today about how unfair her situation is she took a deep breath and said, "I will never feel the kick of a child within my belly, or know the miracle of giving birth. But I, and I alone will know the joy of saving someone. Someone who had no hope, who no one wanted. Taking someone from their very lowest, their very worst, and bringing them into my arms and saying 'You're worth it.' I think that is a beautiful thing."
I do too, I really do. Amen, and my your Resurrection Sunday be filled with the hope that we have been given.
Resurrection: Rob Bell from Rob Bell on Vimeo.
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