Do We Get It?

I think all of us love our Easter Music and our Easter rituals.  Here we say, "He is risen," and the enthusiastic response is, "He is risen indeed!"  I love that!  We bring flowers for the cross (please bring lots so the cross will be beautiful).  Jim Carter and I will assemble the tomb, and Jim will place chicken wire on the cross so that the flowers can be placed.  There will be flowers, songs, lots of good music as we gather at 7am for the Sunrise Service, 9am for the Contemporary Service and 11am for the Traditional Service.  There will be a lot of preparation and work that will happen during the week as Andy practices, the Praise Team gathers to make sure all is good, Tina gets our 11am service stuff together, Monica does bulletins, and all of the "behind-the-scenes" things are done.  Most of you never see these things, so I encourage you to tell the participants, "Thank you!"  But in the midst of all of these things, do we get it?

Do we get the magnitude of the resurrection as we sing, "Christ The Lord Is Risen Today ... Lives again our Glorious King, Where O death is now your sting?, once He died, our souls to save, where's thy victory, boasting grave?"  Is this worth our devotion, our priority, our worship?

Do we understand that this event is the culmination of the Good News of the Gospel?  "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17)!"  God has brought us new life, new hope and He has allowed us to put away our old proud, greedy, self-focused self!  Have we put away pride, greed and self?  Has our life in Christ changed our patterns, or do we revert to that person who is supposed to be dead (the one who leaves Christ and follows our emotions)?  Do we get it?

Do we enbrace Christ, or do we embrace our culture that sees Holy Week as a chance to "take a spring break?"  Our community has decided it is a good time for the circus to come to town!  Do we treat Christ and the Church as the driving force, or do we treat them both as an afterthought?  Do we get it?

I am sending this blog early this week.  There will be plenty of details to "put to bed" as next week travels from "Hosanna" to "Crucify Him" to "He is risen, He is risen indeed."  I hope to see all of you, and sing the praises of the Lord Most High!  We will meet for communion Thursday (7pm), and remember His betrayal.  We will meet Friday (7pm), and remember His crucifixion.  We will wait expectantly Saturday and hope in the promise of His resurrection.  We will meet Sunday and sing those beautiful songs that some think are worth their twice-yearly journey inside the doors of the church.  

My prayer for us ... our body of Christ ... our congregation, is this.  That we get the God who is above our culture, above our petty patterns, and, above even death!  That we come, serve, worship, smell, taste and touch the God who is calling, "Come home!"  "He arose!" "He is alive!" And we are the plan to tell the world this Good News!  Will you join me and His Church, as you leave self and follow Him?  Will He change you ... will you get it?  Thanks for listening!