Mark A. Vincenti
Penned April 14, 2020
Easter is over now.
What a great Holy Week.
Different in many ways but the same truth still hit home.
The broadcasts were inspiring.
The sermons and Scriptures, the songs and prayers,
All pointing to powerful resurrection reality.
Great reminders of what is true
Yet, I can’t help but sense a letdown.
Somehow, I thought everything would be different now.
I thought the virus would be halted.
I thought life would ease up.
Even though my mind knew differently,
I sensed that if we could just make it past Easter
Everything could go back to normal.
But here we are still dealing with a pandemic.
It is a bit of a letdown
To get to the other side of the resurrection
And go back to more of the same.
Come to think of it,
This is actually why celebrating Easter is so important.
This is where the church calendar has proven helpful.
Throughout the ages God’s people have endured every horror and difficulty under the sun:
Wars, famines, droughts, disease, injustice, natural disasters and all manner of persecution.
Most of us in the Western world have been blessed to live without the constant heavy burden of such things
But here we are, forced to continue to live in this world of uncertainty,
Anxiety,
Fear,
Worry,
Stress…
A bit of comfort has been ripped away
Yet, the church calendar reminds us that
You are a God who doesn’t stop working.
Your truth still weaves its way through history
And through our everyday lives.
Regardless of what this day is like,
this season is like,
this year is like,
You are here.
Your work continues.
Your presence is near.
Your purposes prevail.
Therefore, in You we find our hope.
In the emotions I am experiencing,
I am reminded by Easter of who you are.
The prophet Isaiah expressed it this way:
“A bruised reed He will not break,
And a smoldering wick He will not snuff out.
In faithfulness He will bring forth justice:
He will not falter or be discouraged
Till He establishes justice on earth.
In His teaching the islands will put their hope.”
(Isaiah 42:3-4)
And so, Being reminded of Your reality afresh today,
Anchored hearts renew their trust in You.
We fix our eyes on You today.
Along with Isaiah we see
Your gentleness,
Your faithfulness,
Your justice,
Your steadfastness,
Your purpose,
Your teaching…
In these things we gain perspective.
In You we find our hope.
Hope is desire with expectation.
We desire because of what we are experiencing.
We have expectation because of who You are and what You’ve done.
So even as we experience more of the same
Hope is ours in Jesus’ name.
Thank you for this reminder today.
Amen.
