I know we say and think this all the time, but where has the time
gone? Doesn’t it seem like it was just Christmas and wintertime? Now
we’re in Spring, we’ve sprung forward in time, and we are seeing the
sun more frequently (yeah!).
It will soon be Easter, but not too fast. First, we have Holy Week’s
Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, as we go with Jesus to the Cross
and his death and burial. If we rush to Easter and the resurrection
after Palm/Passion Sunday, we’re missing something. Those inbetween
days are important. No cross. No crown.
Skipping over those days makes us theologians of glory, who place
greater emphasis on human abilities and human reason. Basically,
who needs Jesus? We are self-sufficient, independent people who
don’t need anybody’s help (Martin Luther).
Where does that leave us? Martin Luther also taught the theology of
the cross. This “theology …posits ‘the cross’ (that is, divine selfrevelation)
as the only source of knowledge concerning who God is
and how God saves” (Wikipedia). In other words, we cannot know
God or do God’s will apart from the cross of Christ.
I’m thinking about the children and families of Nashville, enduring yet
another school shooting. How much can we focus on the joy of Easter
when our sisters and brothers are in such pain? They are
experiencing the depths of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. May
we lift them up in prayer as we continue with our march to the cross
and resurrection. May we not become so inward and concerned with
everyday stuff that we don’t see or feel for those around us who are
hurting.
Don’t just go to Sunday’s parade (Palm Sunday) and the Easter
celebration. You’ll be missing out on the gist of the gospel. “And he
died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves
but for the one who for their sake died and was raised” (II Corinthians
5:15). We have lots to give thanks for and celebrate, but we have to
go through death before we get to life.
April's Message
2023