Pastor's Corner: An Easter check-up
I watched a movie the other night, actually re-watched it from a few years ago when I first remembered seeing it. The question that was asked passersby by a man walking through the streets was, “Do you believe in the cross of Christ?”
As we approach Easter, I believe we tend to take a closer look at that question, and reflect on the meaning of what took place on that blood stained wooden cross upon which our Savior died.
As a believer, I know that the act of dying was something Jesus did as a one-time action; and it was a done deal. He took all of my sin at that moment in time and so I am freed from God’s wrath when I put my trust in Him and live a new life in Him. And yet, at Easter, I try to dig a bit deeper into my heart to re-visit that sacrifice because I need to be reminded not only of the forgiveness of sins, but the transformation of Easter morning.
Since we live on this side of heaven, in a world that is broken, we feel the effects of that fallen state. We are reminded of its effects on our bodies when we get tired and sick. We feel the effects of that fallen state on our emotions when we feel sadness or discouragement. We feel the effects of the fallen state in our intellect when we don’t understand. We feel the effects of that fallen state on our social lives because honestly, we don’t always “like” people we love. And, of course the effects on our spiritual lives is that we begin to doubt that God is moving, or that He cares about the pain we experience. While we want to continually experience spiritual mountaintops, we sometimes have to live in the valleys. We can’t help that we live in the world and feel the effects on every aspect of who we are.
So, I try to take Easter as my annual self-check up. Yes, these are the effects of sin on my world, but … look what Christ did. So, I can have victory over the darkness. Over the sin. I need reminders sometimes, and especially at Easter.
I love that Christ did the work for me at the cross. I can now look at my life and be reminded that at the cross:
The mundane melts into majestic.
The outstanding ousts the ordinary.
Brokenness becomes beauty.
Faith fixes fallen.
Better butts out bitter.
Salvation saves my soul.
Life’s heaviness becomes lighter, and I can live in victory in this world … because of the cross of Christ. What a glorious thing.
Pastor Wynne Schott is co-pastor of the Cheboygan Church of the Nazarene.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Pastor's Corner: An Easter check-up
