Easter and the Question That Changes Everything

Hebrews 12:1-2

In college, one of my heroes was a guy named Brennan Manning. He was a

beloved writer and speaker, and he had a tremendous faith. To me, few other

people could use words to communicate the depth of God’s goodness and grace

like he did.

I once had the chance to hear him speak, and to do a silent retreat that he led.

During his talk, he explained that he believes that our entire lives come down to

one challenging question, which he later wrote into one of his books:

”Do you believe that the God of Jesus loves you beyond

worthiness and unworthiness, beyond fidelity and infidelity—that

he loves you in the morning sun and in the evening rain—that he

loves you when your intellect denies it, your emotions refuse it,

your whole being rejects it? Do you believe that God loves without

condition or reservation and loves you this moment as you are

and not as you should be?”

Brennan’s words have now taken up residence in my brain for over 20 years,

and I think of them often at Easter time. During Holy Week we focus on the sad

parts of Jesus’s story — the betrayal, his arrest, the torture, and his death.

Entering into those parts of the story can be hard — they evoke uncomfortable

feelings of sorrow, and sometimes even guilt, or shame, in us.

But, the story isn’t supposed to stop there for long - we are supposed to move

on to Easter. And the author of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus endures the pain

of the cross for the sake of the great “joy that was before him” — a joy that was

so powerful, it propels Jesus to give up his very life to get it.

And what is that “joy” that Jesus has in mind? It’s a life… a life with those Jesus

loves most — the human beings that God made, and now welcomes as children.

People — you, me, Brennan, and everyone we meet — we are God’s joy.

That’s a radical idea to believe. It will uplift our hearts to see our sacred value,

and humble our pride at the same time. It will beckon us to rest, and provoke us

to action. It will save our lives, and yet, reminds us to hold life a little more

loosely as well.

May the Story of Jesus help us all believe in the extraordinary love of God.

And, this Easter season, may our church continue to be a beacon of God’s joy

for all our neighbors.

He is risen, indeed!

—Pastor Kevin