Sometimes I wonder if we miss the point. It seems quite common in our culture to focus on the "less significant" detail and miss the "big point". I wonder if we do that at Easter too. Usually Easter is a time we focus on Jesus dying on the cross for our sins and then rising from the dead in victory 3 days later. Quite a powerful story indeed. Lets face it...that rising from the dead thing hasn't been pulled off by any other great religious leader or philosopher. So that alone should cause us to pay attention. And for some we do...well at least one day a year...Easter. What makes Easter difficult...is not the eggs, candy and bunny thing...but our tendency to focus on the Friday. Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. It conjours up horrible images ala Passion of the Christ. In reality the Passion doesn't show it as bad as it was...the bible says Jesus was beaten so bad you couldn't tell He was a human! Wow, now that's bad. Horrible really. And most of us weigh heavy the consequence of our sins and the cost Jesus paid. We must really suck bad for Jesus to have to innocently take that on. The guilt, shame & heaviness breaks us. The images horrify us. But are we missing the main point here? Is Easter about this horror? Is it about how much we suck and how much Jesus had to pay...because of our selfishness and sin? Is Easter just a final victory lap by God after all we put Him through? Now don't get me wrong...Jesus dying our sins is a huge thing...and His victory over sin and death sealed the deal...but is there something bigger in play here? I'd like to suggest this. This ancient story of betrayal, sin, torture, death and victory is way more than we often think...it is about God's deep desire for us to be in relationship with Him. God craves relationship with us. He knew our sin destroys relationship with Him...and each other. He knew we can't live sinless. Damaged relationships were a part of the imperfect human condition, God knew that. And it tore the very people God loves away from Him...bit by bit...sin by sin...slowly...selfishly. God's deep love for us is "why" He went to the extreme tactic of sending Jesus, knowing full well the death He awaited. He knew sin had to be dealt with for relationships to have an opportunity to be restored. The "Good News" is not that Jesus died for our sins...but that everyone has the opportunity to have relationship with God! It is available to all. God desires us so much that He actually took away any barrier that would keep us away from Him. The opportunity for relationship is available...if you want it. That's the Good News! That's what we often don't share...enough. That's what we often don't make clear...enough. That's what makes Easter such a great celebration. At FRIENDS we rejoice in the Good News, and simply want to proclaim, "God's crazy about you!" Jesus said, "There is no greater love than this, that a man would lay his life down for another." Enough said! Enough done! Now that's the point!be God's!
Brian O
ECHO
Lead Pastor dude
Friends Community Church
Tyler, Texas
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