Because of Easter

by Bob Setzer, Jr.
Sunday is the third Sunday of Easter. Yep, Easter is not just a Sunday; Easter is a season. It is a season of worship and great joy as the church proclaims and ponders it’s confession, “The Lord is risen! The Lord is risen indeed!”

But Easter is not primarily about liturgy; Easter is about the difference Jesus makes in our daily lives. So here are three pages from a pastor’s notebook, three quick sketches of the difference Jesus makes because of Easter.

Page One: John spent Easter Sunday morning at the Medical Center with a beloved aunt. During a visit to Macon, she fell and was seriously injured. Now she lay dying as John and other family members stood vigil by the bedside. Shortly before noon, she slipped into the nearer presence of God.

Bereaved and broken-hearted, John felt drawn to the top of Poplar, even though the worship service would be nearly over by the time he arrived. He came in just as the choir burst into a glorious rendition of “The Hallelujah Chorus.” Ironically, John’s aunt always wanted the “Hallelujah Chorus” sung at her funeral. Turned out the risen Lord arranged it for her heavenly homecoming instead. John’s broken heart was strengthened... because of Easter.

Page Two: This time I am the one visiting at the Medical Center, standing by the bedside of a beloved member of our church. This brother and friend has just undergone diagnostic tests for a serious heart condition. He is still groggy, just emerging from anesthesia. Despite the worry and concern he must surely feel for himself, the first thing he asks me is, “How’s Dixie?”

Very shortly, I am at Dixie’s bedside. She has just come through a demanding back operation. A full recovery may take as long as a year. She also is just returning to consciousness. Before I can even inquire about her condition, she looks up with a worried expression and asks, “How’s Jerry?”

Where else might two people related by faith, not blood, show such concern for one another while facing their own hour of need? Only in that family called the church, a family that exists solely... because of Easter.

Page Three: A young boy decides to follow Jesus in baptism and discipleship. Learning of this, his grandfather, a preacher, says, “So I hear you’ve made a decision to join the church.”

“Paw Paws,” this newly minted Baptist answers, “that’s preacher talk and I’ve already talked to Dr. Bob about that.” Grandaddy chuckles at the spunk of his beloved grandson, now his brother in the faith. Such is the wonder of a new believer already becoming bolder and stronger... because of Easter.

Yes, Easter is more than a season. Easter is about life. Easter is the difference Jesus makes between despair and hope, isolation and community, new beginnings and the deadest of ends.