'Tis the Season

It's almost Easter, and this is a busy time of year for the church. I have been home at night mostly to sleep, but other than that have been busy learning the cound cues for our Easter musical.

After setting up the stage for the Sunday Morning service, I went to WalMart to get some extra batteries and a bite to eat. I had never before been to WalMart on the day before Easter. Many people going through the candy and "seasonal" aisles, filling up their quotient of expected gifts to give tomorrow. As I continued walking, I saw many trinkets for sale, including a "Collectible Easter Cross."

I admit that I laid rather quick judgement on the materialisim seeking to cash in on the most important day in all of history - and doing a poor job of it. But it goes deeper, to a place where we should fear to tread. How often this weeken have I or my fellow believers stopped and allowed a moment of hushed silence for what we are celebrating - God, the mighty maker dying for man the creature's sin.

I am too easily distracted - too easily lost in the work of the moment. Today is the day that typifies our lives, observing the heartbreak of the cross - the seeming victory of evil, the absence of God's justice, and every pain, every heartbreak screaming that God does not care - with only the faintest idea of what comes after. Which was worse - to watch Christ die on Friday, or to wake up and later fall asleep on Saturday knowing that he was dead - beaten, bloodied, and buried? To fear that this day would set the pattern for all those that followed?

We who know the ending too easily forget that our deepest cries against God were echoed that day by those our Lord had walked with. The cross remained - still crusted with the freshly spilt blood of the new covenant, the grave was full, the Christ was dead. The disciples hid in fear, the women wept. And all of this on the day set aside by God for rest and for worship.

They fell asleep Saturday fitful, frightened that the angry mob from yesterday would find them. Peter was racked with guilt - denying that he even knew Jesus as he watched his master led away to his death.

This was Easter Saturday. This is what we should remember this day - not someone's favorite flavor of chocolate.