This was an amazing Easter here in Miramar. Our worship attendance tripled. Even better, some of our guests were neighbors from our after school tutoring program. Some of them also came because of our door-to-door efforts from the past few months. The lilies smelled amazing, the bounce castle was rocking, food was everywhere, and there were over 600 plastic eggs filled with candy. It all seemed very much like the Easter I had hoped and prayed for.
There were a lot of people I know, however, that could not get out of the house, or their church is still shut down. They may have been able to watch a service online, or meet with family but, just like last year, it didn’t look like it Easter. It didn’t smell like Easter. It didn’t feel like Easter either.
But Easter came anyway.
I know some churches are empty, a few have been permanently shuttered. The trumpet didn’t blow and no one sang, “Jesus Christ is risen today.” You can shout “Alleluia! Christ is risen!” to the empty room but there is no one to respond and it’s hard to imagine that it’s Easter. No Easter bunny in malls. No crosses with beautiful flowers. The pews are empty. The church is quiet, but it’s Easter anyway!
That first Easter was Easter, but nobody knew it.
Mary Magdalene was close to Jesus. He had freed her from her demons. Mary loved Jesus, and, now her Lord and friend had died. She went to the tomb expecting only grief. She came when it was “yet dark.” That could refer to the time of day or her state of mind.
She didn’t know. He had been raised from the dead. He was alive!
It was Easter, but it didn’t look like it.
It didn’t smell like it.
It didn’t feel like it.
But it was Easter anyway.
It Came Anyway
There are still days coming in your life and in mine that will make it seem like the power of the cross and the open tomb have disappeared. Days when it seems like God has abandoned us. Days when it is yet dark. Days when we struggle to survive, let alone thrive.
But Easter has come. The full and complete power of Easter—and that, my friends, is something circumstances like this virus cannot take away.
Just like the resurrection, we have a brighter day coming. It may not seem like it right now, I know, but you can be rest assured, it’s coming.
Thank you for your prayers, God hears them and He answers, whether it looks like it or not.