APRIL 2007
Dear Mt. Olive family and friends,
Soon
Easter will be here. Such
a sharp contrast to Lent and to Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Such a time of unabashed
joy. “He is risen!”
declares the pastor. “He is risen indeed!” the congregation eagerly responds.
It’s hard not to be enthusiastic and
exuberant on Easter Sunday. For a
Christian, in fact, it’s impossible to contain the excitement! If our faith means anything to us at all, it
will burst forth from within our very souls.
We’ll wear it in a broad smile and joyful demeanor as we enter God’s
House of prayer and praise.
Why is that? Why would that one particular day out of 365
have such an effect on Christian women, men, and children? What makes this day so special and sets it
apart from all others?
One thing that makes our Easter
Sunday joy so radiantly robust is Good Friday.
When Christians gather in God’s House on Good Friday, there is deep
sorrow and profound sadness. As we
retrace Jesus’ steps to the cross and are reminded of the very real pain He
endured, we cannot help but be moved. He
did it for us. All for
us. Only for
us.
Experiencing the horror of Good
Friday makes the proclamation, “He is not here.
He is risen!” so much more intense.
In fact, there is a heightened elation that comes with the Easter
morning sunrise if one has first attended Good Friday worship. Some folks, I fear, miss some of the thrill
of Easter because they haven’t previously pondered Christ’s holy passion.
Another thing that makes Easter
Sunday so uncommonly festive is the Easter miracle. The Jesus who suffered and died is now the
Jesus who is alive again. The lifeless
body that was placed in Joseph’s tomb is now the body full of life and
love. The heart that stopped beating on
Friday afternoon now beats anew on Sunday morn.
Is there anything in the whole wide world that can keep us from shouting
“Alleluia!”
In addition to the contrast of Good
Friday and the miracle of Easter Sunday is the impact of this miracle upon
us. If we celebrate Easter only as an
historical event – though it certainly was that – we miss the genuine bliss
intended for our personal delight.
Because Jesus lives, we who believe in Him will also live –
forever! That’s a promise the Lord makes
in His Word. Without the Easter miracle,
that promise would pack no punch!
There’s
a grave in every major religion. Only
one is empty! Having the Spirit-given faith to believe that
Jesus “was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our
justification,” (Romans
The early Christians chose Sunday as
their day of worship because it was on the first day of the week that Jesus
declared His victory over the grave by rising from the dead. They wanted each Sunday worship service to be
a reminder of Easter and to radiate with Easter joy.
Pastor Carl R. Henkel