The praise and worship set has been finalized. The invites have all been given out. The new guest gifts have all been ordered. The team has been pumped up with the vision. Now all is left is actually having the Easter Sunday services. But one vital piece is still missing.
Jesus.
Paul, awaiting his death at the hands of a corrupt Roman regime, pens one final letter to his protege, Timothy. With the church in Ephesus left under his care, Timothy struggles against all kinds of stresses, dysfunction, and organizational gangrene. Yet Paul knows God’s gospel is unstoppable and is producing fruit under Timothy’s leadership, so he encourages him one more time. In his final paragraphs as an apostle, a spiritual father, a servant of God, Paul takes pause to remind Timothy of the crux of this whole thing - Jesus.
Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. 2 Timothy 2:8-10
This Easter weekend as you awake remember Jesus. As you dress remember Jesus. As you drive to the church remember Jesus. As you greet your team members remember Jesus. As you worship, remember Jesus. As you step on stage to deliver the message branded on your heart, remember Jesus. As you serve and make a difference in the lives of other, remember Jesus!
Let us not, become so preoccupied with the intricacies of the service flow that we miss the point. May we not become distracted with the endless moving parts that we forget why Easter is Easter. Let us become so overwhelmed with what Jesus suffered, endured, and conquered, so that it consumes us in a way that we struggle to have conversations about the weather, baseball, and lunch. Fight hard, to fall so deeply and madly in love with Jesus this Easter, that you struggle to perform common tasks.
And if this Easter doesn’t meet your expectations, let not your heart be discouraged. Because as Paul said, “God’s word is not chained.” Regardless of whether you served a church of 30,000 or 30, nothing can impede the unstoppable message that the tomb is still empty.
Let us remember Jesus, who has raised from the dead. Allow that memory to lead to gratitude, and that gratitude lead to passion. To breathe on an unquenchable fire from within that shines on the empty tomb. A light so bright that it is impossible for those you come in contact with to forget Jesus.
Happy Easter.