There is nothing quite like Easter morning in the church. This sanctuary which for the last 40 days has been somewhat bare and subtle is completely transformed. Over the week beforehand especially the church has taken on a more solemn and even grave atmosphere. But then comes Easter. Gone are the black candles and bare altar. Gone are the slow funeral like hymns. Gone the somber readings and silent exits from the church.
Easter morning is a full senses worship. You are hit as you come into the sanctuary with the overpowering odor of the flowers. The bleak and plain altar is covered with the white lilies and joyful paraments. From the first note of music, there is a declaration that things are different now. This sanctuary that resembled a funeral parlor on Friday night now comes alive with the music, colors, and sights of a church of life. Easter changes everything about the church. Even the people are different. Those who left Friday night in silence and contemplation now sing at the top of their lungs, “I know that My Redeemer lives!” Easter changes everything about the church and about the people and it is right that it is so. It begs the question: why couldn’t everyday be like that?
The obvious answer is that then we wouldn’t appreciate Easter as much. Easter is cherished because it is rare in the church year. Just as Christmas is cherished because we only get it once during the year. There is however a part of Easter that should stay with us beyond the lilies and echoes of music. Easter changes everything. It changes how we can approach our everyday life.
Easter is the declaration that Christ is risen, but it doesn’t stop there. It is also the declaration of the promised resurrection that belongs to all believers. That promise allows us to approach our everyday lives in a more confident and peaceful way. The promise from your faithful God, who always keeps his promises, that you will be raised should instill into your life a confidence that can’t be shaken. No matter what you face. Easter should affect our everyday by making whatever comes our way more acceptable.Paul lays out this resurrected approach to everyday life in Romans 8:18. “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” He continues in verses 37-39. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all of creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.”
All these things which loom so large in our present mind just don’t compare with that glory that Easter promises. The trouble is that we are sinners and in that sin we are subject to the ups and downs of confidence that come from our lives. In September when we are struggling in a relationship, Easter can seem so far away. Yet the promise that God makes and that we sing about on Easter should be a source of tremendous comfort in the middle of that September struggle. How do we keep that Easter confidence with us for the everyday struggles we face?
Why not try this: Pick your favorite Easter hymn and memorize a verse or two from it. Through these words, which are almost always scripture, God the Holy Spirit will comfort, reassure, and clarify hearts and minds. The promise of Easter upholds us through it all. For Christ is Risen, He is Risen, indeed!