Easter has always been a reflective time for me—a time when I let the sacrifice of the cross and its compelling love resonate in my thoughts and sink deep into my soul. Much like the season of spring itself, it’s a spiritual reawakening for me. Oh, sure, I like the traditions of Easter baskets, marshmallow chicks and jelly beans like everyone else. But when we gather as believers on Easter morning and join in worship proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus—well, it swells my spirit and fuels my faith like no other time of year.
But here we are at Easter 2020. The year of COVID-19 and a worldwide pandemic. People are sick and many are dying. Businesses are shut down. Schools are limping their way through online education. Grocery store shelves are waning. Unemployment rates have soared. The economy is in a tailspin. People everywhere are self-isolating at home. And, for the first time in the history of the world, church doors will be closed on Easter.
It’s a sobering thought. Buildings that are usually filled to capacity on this particular Sunday will now have quiet foyers and empty pews. It’s a first for the world. It’s a first for me.
But the message of Jesus being raised from the dead and alive in Spirit in the world today is still the greatest news ever given, and perhaps more needed than ever. It makes me ask the question, “Lord, is there something bigger happening beyond the headlines?” And the answer is a resounding “Yes!” Of course there is. God is always at work fulfilling His greater plan with thoughts and ways much higher than our own (Isaiah 55:8-9).
“I learned a long time ago that every challenging season offers lessons to those willing to learn.”
I learned a long time ago that every challenging season offers lessons to those willing to learn. This season presents a multitude of opportunities. We can learn contentment in circumstances of want. We can learn to trust beyond what we see. Families can rediscover the joys of togetherness without the pressures of overwhelming schedules. As we sit in our separate homes, we can develop a new appreciation of community. And maybe—just maybe—a world reeling from a destructive virus and knocked from its self-sufficiency onto its knees will be ready to receive authentic hope and redemptive love.
Only God knows His intentions and plans for each one of us during this unique time. With eyes wide open, we can learn lessons through it all and have confidence knowing He is still on His throne and we are still in His hands. We may be stumbling through our upside-down lives but God is moving forward with His blueprints unchanged. Yes—be sure—He is on the move!
This year, we will find new ways to celebrate Easter, and with no less sincerity. It will look dramatically different in form, but the truth of our risen Savior will still be proclaimed—across the internet and over the airwaves. May it resonate to new depths in our own hearts and may it resound globally with a fresh invitation to God’s open arms. Easter 2020 will be one to remember. May it be exactly what the world needs now.
Happy Easter, everyone. He is risen!