The Easter shuffle

Easter Egg dyeing, hiding, hunting, eating, candy, pictures, dinner, guests, events, and more. No wonder a bunny has become the mascot for Easter because it seems we are hopping from place to place.

There are many holidays that make people’s lives and homes more busy than normal. Being a pastor Christmas is certainly a busy time, but Easter seems to take the cake as far as being having much to do and not enough time to do it. This year was less busy than last because it did not come with the addition of funerals as it did last year. However in one week there is a Maundy Thursday service, a Good Friday service, an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, and Easter service on Sunday.

With all this running around it is easy to forget why we are doing what we are doing. While spending time with family is wonderful, hosting Easter Egg hunts is fun, and chocolate is sometimes downright necessary, all this falls terribly short of the reason Easter is even observed.

Sometimes our good intentions, our visiting guests, and our planned events can get in the way of why we even bothered in the first place.

Chocolate falls short of Christ, events fall short of the love of God, and even family pales in comparison to the resurrection of Jesus. While all these things are good, the Son of God raising from the dead is central. We get so worn out from the season we are relieved when it is over. I know after Sunday’s Easter Service I breathed a heavy sigh of relief looking forward to some much needed rest.

Easter is not supposed to bring us to the brink of death, but to the resurrection of Christ, but our own overloaded schedules fog the scene of the empty tomb. Fortunately Easter is not over. Easter is not a day but a season. We are now in the time of celebrating Jesus coming up from the dead. Now that the hustle and bustle of Easter Day has settled down we are invited to slow down and celebrate the Easter miracle. As we have 40 days to prepare ourselves for Easter in the season of Lent, now is the time to celebrate for 50 days the exemplified love of Jesus the Son of God.

So let us all have a time to slow down, to approach the tomb of Jesus, to carefully observe the empty grave, and to rejoice in the risen Lord. May the God of new life give you new life in this wonderful time of Easter!