Calling All Distracted People

An Easter Challenge

Christianity hinges on Easter. The holiday originated when Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary and Joseph, came back to life. He resurrected.

Three days prior, he had been beaten to the point of being unrecognizable and nailed to a cross, which during his day was the most shameful way to go. As his body began to slump, the only physical things holding him to that dead tree were the nails in his hands and feet.

He died as all humans would in his position. No angels came to attend him. No sinners were smote in his presence. The skies did not open to retrieve Jesus’ sad body from the cross. He went just as he had come, in humility.

If that had been the end of the story there would be no reason for me to write now. And Easter would not exist. And Christianity, along with several other religions, would not be practiced.

Paul, an early spokesman for the faith, put it very frankly in a letter he wrote to the church located in Corinth, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.”*

That is a big statement. If you think about, if Jesus did not come back from the dead, he was just a man. And if he was just a man, he was a liar because the things that he did and said were meant to fulfill Old Testament prophecy regarding Mashiach or the Messiah, the chosen and promised one.  And if Jesus was just a liar, then my faith is useless, hopeless and, to put it candidly, pathetic.

I accept that wager and I still put my faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That’s a great statement right? Sounds brave, or, to some, blatantly silly. But let me tell you, living out faith requires intentionality, just like a relationship does.

Yesterday—Sunday, April 9—was Palm Sunday. That’s the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and the people worshiped him as he went because they thought he was going to overthrow the Roman government and set up his kingdom. But that was never his plan.

Instead, he humbly rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, just as King David’s wise son, Solomon had done hundreds of years before Jesus.

This was the focus of the pastor’s message yesterday and he closed it with a challenge: do not allow this week to become overshadowed by distractions. That hit home for me because as he was saying this I was thinking about the fact that my only set of car keys were lost and I needed to get home so I could look for them. My guilt and nervousness that I would not find them weighed heavily on me.

But I had to make a decision.

I had to decide if my God was bigger than my keys and even my mistakes. Of course He knew where my keys were and of course He could help me find them if that was His will, but I needed to focus my attention on Him during that church service without the condition that He would help me find them later. I needed to push aside my distractions and give Him my attention. With His help I did. And I am very grateful.  

So now I would like to challenge all of you: push past the distractions that can overcrowd this season to get to the reason for the holiday. Don’t allow the bustle of work, kids going to school, buying candy or preparing Easter food to get in the way of the true celebration that can be taking place inside your heart. Acknowledge what Jesus did for you.

Happy Easter—He is risen!

*1 Corinthians 15:14