My almost Easter sermon, continued from yesterday. . .
As I’ve thought about Easter weekend this week, I realized that I’ve always been sort of confused on how to feel during this weekend. For a Christian, this a sharp, bipolar ride. First we experience the sadness of the death of Christ, which also reminds us of why he needed to die. The horror of my sin is laid bare in front of the cross. I walk away from Good Friday mournful and guilty. Then Sunday morning comes, and we celebrate the great joy of the resurrection. We remember the glorious event that gives us assurance of our salvation. It is a sharp juxtaposition. Down and then up, depressed and then full of joy, Easter is actually a great picture of what it means to be a Christian: Lost in death and sin, alive in Christ.
One thing that juxtaposition has reminded me of is that the events of Easter mean that no matter how black my sins are, I can live up to the calling of holiness. Let me explain.
I can only speak for myself, but I think most of us never want to disappoint someone who has a high opinion of us. When someone thinks highly of us, regardless of how in reality we fall short of that, we try hard not to let them down. I was definitely this way with my grandpa. I was scared to death of ever letting him down, of ever doing something he didn’t approve of. I don’t know for sure how he saw me; that wasn’t the kind of thing that he talked about. But I know that he treated me with the utmost respect, like I was a man. He made me feel important and good and honorable, and I worked hard to never change his mind. I wanted to be what he saw in me.
It’s a lot like that with God. If you read the Bible enough, you come across countless descriptions of how God has a high view of us. He calls us holy, set apart, His people. We are cherished and chosen by Him. When someone picks teams and they pick you, you want to prove your worth to them early. God picked us. He picked me.
Really? Are you sure, God? Me, holy?
Personally, I feel terrible for not living up to this. I see the Sovereign Being of the Universe and what he says he sees in me, and then I look at my actions. I am ashamed. I am terrified. And I don’t think I’m alone. I think this is a big reason why many people avoid church and organized religion. I know it’s a reason I avoid prayer at times. It hurts to be a disappointment. It’s also a reason we’re so quick to point to the sins of others. If we can find someone we’re not as bad as, maybe we can convince ourselves that we shouldn’t feel too bad.
The beauty of Easter, though, is that all this has been taken care of. We are called once again to our expectations. We are reminded that God sees us as so worthwhile that he would sacrifice his Son for us. More importantly, however, is that we are reminded that we can live up to our high calling. We are holy, because we have been made holy. The punishment has been removed, and we have been washed clean. We are the chosen, the set apart. We can drop the guilt of the cross and of our failure to live up to expectations and instead rejoice in the Lord always.
A lot has been asked of us. Jesus, as an example for us the night before he died, lowered himself to wash the feet of his disciples. All of them. Even the one he knew had already sold Jesus’ life for 30 pieces of silver. He said to do as I do, to love as I have loved. This is a high calling. And this, with the power of the Resurrection, is what we are capable of. Let’s celebrate the awe-inspiring love we have been offered. Let’s live up to our calling. Amen.
One thing that juxtaposition has reminded me of is that the events of Easter mean that no matter how black my sins are, I can live up to the calling of holiness. Let me explain.
I can only speak for myself, but I think most of us never want to disappoint someone who has a high opinion of us. When someone thinks highly of us, regardless of how in reality we fall short of that, we try hard not to let them down. I was definitely this way with my grandpa. I was scared to death of ever letting him down, of ever doing something he didn’t approve of. I don’t know for sure how he saw me; that wasn’t the kind of thing that he talked about. But I know that he treated me with the utmost respect, like I was a man. He made me feel important and good and honorable, and I worked hard to never change his mind. I wanted to be what he saw in me.
It’s a lot like that with God. If you read the Bible enough, you come across countless descriptions of how God has a high view of us. He calls us holy, set apart, His people. We are cherished and chosen by Him. When someone picks teams and they pick you, you want to prove your worth to them early. God picked us. He picked me.
Really? Are you sure, God? Me, holy?
Personally, I feel terrible for not living up to this. I see the Sovereign Being of the Universe and what he says he sees in me, and then I look at my actions. I am ashamed. I am terrified. And I don’t think I’m alone. I think this is a big reason why many people avoid church and organized religion. I know it’s a reason I avoid prayer at times. It hurts to be a disappointment. It’s also a reason we’re so quick to point to the sins of others. If we can find someone we’re not as bad as, maybe we can convince ourselves that we shouldn’t feel too bad.
The beauty of Easter, though, is that all this has been taken care of. We are called once again to our expectations. We are reminded that God sees us as so worthwhile that he would sacrifice his Son for us. More importantly, however, is that we are reminded that we can live up to our high calling. We are holy, because we have been made holy. The punishment has been removed, and we have been washed clean. We are the chosen, the set apart. We can drop the guilt of the cross and of our failure to live up to expectations and instead rejoice in the Lord always.
A lot has been asked of us. Jesus, as an example for us the night before he died, lowered himself to wash the feet of his disciples. All of them. Even the one he knew had already sold Jesus’ life for 30 pieces of silver. He said to do as I do, to love as I have loved. This is a high calling. And this, with the power of the Resurrection, is what we are capable of. Let’s celebrate the awe-inspiring love we have been offered. Let’s live up to our calling. Amen.
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