In the South, Easter is a really big deal. We bring out the white shoes, the white pants, the white skirts; we don hats and new dresses. We color our deviled eggs, we make Resurrection cookies, we make the 5-day coconut cakes, we baste the ham and roll out all the stops for the scalloped potatoes, the hashbrown casserole, the sweet potato casserole, because let’s face it: you simply cannot have too many potatoes on your table at any given time in the South. We host Easter egg hunts and fill baskets with chocolate and Peeps.
But more than anything clothing and food related, we as believers want to tell the world, “This is what it’s all about! This day is our very reason for living! Get excited! Easter is what saved us!”
More people attend church services on Easter and Christmas/Christmas Eve than any other time throughout the year. And I’m okay with this statistic. If we can get people in the door to hear the precious message of Jesus’ death and Resurrection, I am totally fine with them only coming to church once or twice a year. You know why? Because they will hear the message. Many people say they would go to church at other times of the year, if they were invited. We need to be inviting people every single week to come to church with us.
This year, Easter is going to be really different. People are still practicing social distancing and churches are holding services online, only, in order to protect and save lives. Not for one second does this mean we do not still get to hear and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our liberties are not being taken away. I want to throw up every single time I read someone’s words, “This is against the constitution! They are taking away our rights and liberties!” Gracious sakes, no. I need the people saying those statements to please stop. If anything, we are being encouraged to stay home so we can do more at a later date. We are staying home to save lives.
But it does not mean we stop inviting people to church. In fact, now is an even better opportunity to share our churches with our friends and neighbors. Why? Because they can sit comfortably in their underwear and watch at home. Ladies, tell your girlfriends, “You don’t even have to put on a bra for this church service!” I’m not kidding … if you tell me I can hang out at home without a bra, I’m going to select this option every single time. Guys can sit in their pajama bottoms and no shirts, and watch Easter service. They don’t even have to “get up early,” since most services post online, anyway. They can watch it at any time of the day or night.
I cannot stress this enough … even though we cannot go to church right now, we are the church. Even though we cannot have Easter services at church, we are the church. Even though we cannot invite friends to church right now, we are the church.
We. Are. The. Church. Building or not, we are the church.
Please do not mistake this for me saying I don’t ever want the church doors to open again, because I am absolutely not saying that. But if we are doing life right, we are the church, all day, every day.
I love the 21st chapter of John. When Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” And Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Jesus was restoring Peter here, three times, for the three times Peter denied knowing Jesus before Jesus was crucified.
But when we look back, we see how Jesus brings all of the pieces, together. Shortly before Jesus predicted His death, He said to Peter, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” - Matthew 16:18-19 (NIV)
Peter was the rock on which Jesus built His church. Peter. Simon Peter; the disciple who betrayed Jesus, Jesus forgave, loved and restored, after His crucifixion and resurrection.
If Jesus will use one of the disciples who betrayed Him to build His church, He can use you and me to be the church, as well.
We cannot go through the church doors this Sunday, but we can be the church doors. We can open our hearts and share the love of Jesus with everyone. We can be the entire church, the way we were always supposed to be.