Same Ol' Easter

Tuesday is my sermon day, so I spend most Tuesdays looking over notes, flipping back through the Bible, typing, backspacing, and staring at a computer screen. I've had this computer since we started Church of the Way, so I figure I've written somewhere around 310-315 sermons on this thing. This is my 7th Easter as pastor of Church of the Way. It is always an exciting day.

But, Easter provides a bit of a challenge sometimes. So does Christmas. The story is the same each year. It's not like there's a surprise twist one Easter and Jesus doesn't rise from the dead. Every Easter, He still resurrects. Sometimes I wonder if people want to hear that same old story every Easter. Don't they know it by now? Aren't they tired of hearing about it? Is there a fresh Word for Easter? Two things come to mind:

1. No, not everyone does know it...that Jesus is alive. To many, Jesus is still just an idea. We believe he's alive. The central truth of the Christian faith is that death does not win. Jesus lives, and he lives on through us. We believe he reigns throughout the universe. It really happened. And as long as one person hasn't heard or understood that, I'll be preaching it every Easter.


2. I keep needing Jesus to rise for me. Though I've heard the story a million times, I keep needing resurrection in my life. I've been a Christian for 27 years, but there are still parts of me that dead, that are just not right, and I need them raised to life. I keep needing to connect with the Living God. And I need reminding each Easter that this resurrection happening inside of me is an ongoing process. I want to be more alive this Easter than last. And I better be way more alive 10 Easters from now. I keep needing this new life. And I don't think I'll ever get tired of it.

Every pastor in America will try to bring their "A" game this week. They'll try to preach their best message of the year. And they should. The Risen Jesus certainly deserves our best. I call it Super Bowl Sunday for pastors. Where ever you are, I hope you'll step into a church to hear one of those pastors pour their heart out. Because what they are talking about is not just the same ol' Easter message. They are sharing the greatest message of hope the world has ever known. Life wins. Death loses. And I don't know everything about you, but I'll bet your world could stand to have a little new life breathed into it. I know just the guy that can help you with that.