Today as I drove my kids and my husband to school and work, it rained and was grey and dull. My spirit felt gray and dull too. Where was all the glory from Easter? It appeared that it had faded into the recesses as the world took over once again.
Easter Changes Everything. That was the title of our production at church this weekend. But does it really? Because it seems that on the Tuesday after Easter, everything is still the same. Everything still falls flat. Every day seems the same. How is there hope in that?
Yes, eternal life is our hope. I believe that and I am not minimizing that or the cross in any way, don’t get me wrong. How do we work out that hope in the present? Because I believe life here on earth while we wait for our home in heaven is not meant to be spent merely as a waiting room. Jesus told us that He had come to give us not just life but abundant life.
After dropping everyone off at their destinations, I drove to meet a friend for breakfast. I am still starved for relationships in this new city. I rarely speak or talk to many people throughout the week. Being an introvert, I can do this for weeks on end. Until I can’t. Meeting up a with friend today, breathed life into my depressing, same old, same old Tuesday. Girls just need to chat it up every now and then. That’s how God made us, even us introverts. And it was good! We spoke, we listened, we encouraged each other. As I left the restaurant, suddenly the day didn’t seem so grey. Loneliness I didn’t even know I was feeling was blown away, like dust off a table. A seed of hope sprang to life.
We were created for relationship. With God. With others. It will always fill some void in us. It was one of the things that Jesus prayed for his disciples the night he was betrayed. It always blows my mind that Jesus took the time to pray for his disciples and believers that night. Throughout that prayer, Jesus speaks a lot about “being one as He and His Father are one.” (John 17) He prays for protection. He calls them His own. It is a constant stream from the Father, to the Son to His Followers. It is about relationship. Good and healthy relationships build up, encourage, inspire and make us better. They bring fullness to our lives.
Our relationship with God can be that too. We no longer have to go through a priest or sacrifice animals. We can go right to Him. Read our bibles, pray, watch for Him as He works in the world. As He shows Himself. May we have eyes that see and ears to hear.
Our relationship with Him can bring fullness to our lives. Easter changed that.
When Jesus showed himself to his disciples, he said, “Peace be with you!” My study bible says that his greeting may have been said to calm their fears. Remember they had all deserted Him on the Friday before. We are all deserters at some point. But His forgiveness is just a prayer away. Nothing can ever separate us from His love for us. If God sent His Son to die for us, do you think there is anything that can stand between us? The cost alone of sending your one and only son, had to be worth it. We were worth it. It was complete. No loopholes. Nothing can separate us from His love, except ourselves. Our choice.
Even on the worst days, the hope of His love for us can give us the handhold to hang on. To hang in there. Easter changed that.
Finally Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to His disciples and all believers after He went back to Heaven. This still applies to us today. The Spirit is our guide. It is through the power of the Spirit that we do the work that God has for us. We rise above the world and get glimpses of the Kingdom in our everyday lives. The hope of this gives us life. Gives us reasons to persevere even on depressing, rainy Tuesdays. Easter changed that.
As the world gets back to business and the Easter holiday fades away as just one more holiday, I want my mantra to be, “Easter changed that for me.” I pray the hope and glory of Easter shines through ever new day for you and for me.