Easter Sunday people in a Good Friday world

From the Pulpit
By Rev. Gary Hardin

During my childhood years, on the Saturday night before Easter Sunday my sisters and I dyed boiled eggs, decorated them, and placed them in our Easter baskets. On Sunday, after church, we enjoyed an egg hunt.

This coming Sunday we observe Easter, the time the Christian church celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. Although we live in a Good Friday world, we are Easter Sunday people.

Good Friday focuses our attention on the suffering and pain endured by Jesus. On the Thursday evening before His crucifixion on Saturday, one of Jesus' closest followers betrayed Him for a bag of money. A frightening mob arrested Jesus. Falsely accused and unjustly tried by the religious council of the day, its members spit on Jesus and beat Him with their fists. In the early hours of Friday morning, the leaders of the council appealed to the Roman governor to order Jesus' death by crucifixion, as if Jesus were a common criminal. The cowardly governor caved under the pressure of the council leaders and the crowds they stirred up. Reluctantly, the governor gave Jesus over to soldiers who whipped Jesus, then crucified Him.

The betrayal, falsehood, abuse, pain, anxiety, and fear of that unforgettable Friday resemble the kind of world we live in today, doesn't it? Have you been falsely accused? Backstabbed by a friend? Perhaps you are a victim of abuse -- verbal or physical. Did a spouse walk out on you? Have you worked for a spineless boss who had no backbone? Can you recall a recent time when you were truly afraid? Have you felt so anxious you could not function? Has someone you were depending on let you down? Yes, we live in a Good Friday world of terror, heartache, grief, violence, infidelity, and hypocrisy.

Whereas Good Friday focuses our attention on suffering and pain, Easter Sunday focuses our attention on triumph and victory. After his death, the Roman soldiers buried Jesus. But He did not stay in the grave. Powerfully, He arose from the dead and lives today. Because of this miracle, we celebrate Easter Sunday.

Because of the resurrection you can have an overcoming Easter faith, even though you currently have to dwell in a stressful Good Friday world.

Easter provides you with more power than you'll ever need. Since Jesus overcame death, the greatest obstacle of all, He can provide you with the power to overcome financial problems, marriage problems, parenting troubles, and relationship predicaments.

Easter blesses you with an unending supply of new beginnings and fresh starts. Sure, we all mess up, make terrible mistakes, choose unwisely, and behave irresponsibly. The resurrected Jesus, however, provides forgiveness, mercy, and grace all of which clean the slate.

Easter offers hope. The pain and distress of our Good Friday world do not have the last say. Someone greater than us is in charge.

Easter builds purpose and meaning into your life. We get up and go to work, come home and go to bed. The next day we repeat the same tiresome routine. We long for something more than job success -- namely, significance and meaning. Because of the empty tomb we can live abundantly and purposefully.

Easter shouts that God thinks the world of you. Jesus endured all the beatings, the spit, the mocking, the humiliation, and the agony of the cross because He thought you were worth His unconditional love.

Easter assures us of life beyond the grave. An irreligious man said to me, “I believe when we die we just cease to exist.” Is that accurate? Jesus' resurrection provides the preview of our own resurrection one day. All people will be resurrected in the future to live forever. We choose whether we live eternally with the Lord or without Him.

You might be a skeptic or spiritual seeker who finds it difficult to believe in Jesus' resurrection. God loves those who ask sincere questions and those who express honest doubts. I appreciate people who ask the hard questions others think about but are hesitant to ask. I encourage you to continue your search for truth. Attend church this coming Easter Sunday as part of your quest to find what's real.

Gary Hardin is pastor of Enon Grove Baptist Church in Cedar Bluff. He and his wife, Linda, live in Centre. Comments can be sent to: garyhardin@tds.net.