A holiday message from the Rev. Jeremy Winter, pastor of Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church
Who else is ready for Easter? Yeah, here comes Easter! Oh boy, Easter time it is!
Too much? Yeah, I know. But I am really trying to get a little bit of excitement for Easter going. For I am having a hard time getting excited for Easter right now, which is very unusual for me as I love Easter.
I love gathering together with family. I love eating way too many way too sugary pieces of candy. I love hunting for eggs, which has gotten significantly more difficult now that my siblings and I are adults. We can really hide an egg or two! But most of all, I love going to church on Easter morning.
There is just something about church on Easter. There is a joy in the air that is hard to describe. Everyone comes excited and ready to celebrate, for we have something truly worth celebrating on Easter. Christ is alive! The tomb is empty. Death has been defeated.
At Easter, we celebrate Christ’s victory over death. Not just his own, but all of ours as well. For us Christians believe something pretty crazy. That when we die, we don’t stay dead. That through Christ, there is eternal life. That death has truly been defeated. That is Easter, and it is definitely something to celebrate.
But this year there will be no one in church to celebrate it. Easter will come and go, and churches all over our country will remain empty. What should be a day filled with “Good morning!” and “Happy Easter!” will instead be greeted by deafening silence. It is hard to get excited for Easter right now. It is hard to get excited about anything right now. We are living in strange times. This horrible virus has put life on hold and found a way to suck the joy out of many of the things we enjoy the most about life. Even Easter.
This is why, although I may not be excited about it, I need this Easter more than any ever before. We all do. For this Easter, as we stare an uncertain future in the face. This Easter, as we are forced to come to grips with our own frailty and mortality. This Easter, when there is so much fear and unknown.
This Easter, we need to hear the gospel more than ever. This Easter, we need to hear that Christ is alive. That the tomb is empty. That death has been defeated. This Easter, we desperately need good news.
Well, the good news is I have good news. Jesus has still risen. Easter is still happening. Christians will still be celebrating. Many churches will be streaming worship services, including my own Mt. Olivet Lutheran. People will be gathering at home with those closest to them to watch and worship. Gospels will be read. Prayers will be said. Hymns will be sung. Good news will be preached. Joy will be shared. Easter will happen. It will just be in a very different way from what are used to.
If Easter tells us one thing, it is that God can’t be stopped. The powers of the world can’t stop God. No evil, no matter how great, can stop God. Not even death itself can stop God. Which means no virus can stop God. No virus can stop Easter. So this Sunday celebrate however you can. Find a church to watch online. Sing songs. Say prayers. Read some good news. Have joy. Easter is happening. Nothing can stop it. Let’s get excited!
The Mt. Olivet congregation will meet online on Maundy Thursday at 6:30 p.m. through Zoom at the following link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/698050496.
