Recently, I heard of a pastor who was told off by a member of his congregation for saying Easter was cancelled this year. Of course, given that we are in 2020, and most of the world is in lockdown thanks to a scary virus that is ravaging our communities, what the pastor actually meant was that there wouldn’t be the regular church services. This is usually one of the church’s most active seasons, with many celebrating Maundy Thursday, not to mention Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday itself. Yet in 2020,, for the first time in living memory, the church doors have remained closed. However, I would argue that in our time of fear and confusion, the church has been more active than ever before.
As I sat down to scan the internet on Resurrection Sunday, I realised I could have watched more church services than my time would allow. I could have attended church all over the world without even leaving my home. What a wonder modern technology is, as pastors and congregations are utilizing such programs as Zoom, Facebook Live, and Youtube.
None of us are enjoying this time of isolation. We are all praying for friends and loved-ones to stay strong and healthy, and for health workers as they battle to save lives, but through it all, the message of the Cross speaks louder and clearer than ever before to a world where finally, some may be realising their need for a Saviour.
We have all become self-sufficient and self-satisfying. Many of us live in affluent countries, where wages have been more than enough to cover our wants as well as our needs. I’ve heard people blatantly say they don’t need Jesus. They say life is different now to how it was when the Bible was written. People are more able to help themselves. Technology and medical care are advanced, and we can fill our time, our bodies, and our homes with more good things than ever before. However, many of those myths are now being shattered by an invisible microscopic virus that takes no prisoners. It doesn’t care whether you’re rich or poor, healthy or unhealthy. It has brought our economy to a standstill as people are told to stay at home. Shops and businesses are closed, and even getting the basic necessities of food can be a challenge. Self-reliance doesn’t have the appeal it once did, so will people finally see their need for Jesus?
I would never say the Lord brought this virus upon us, but I believe his Word teaches that what our enemy sends to harm us, God can turn around and use for good. This happened in the story of Joseph at the end of Genesis. His brothers sold him into slavery, and he was later imprisoned, but God was engineering Joseph into the place he needed to be to save many lives. When Joseph finally stood before his brothers again at a time of reconciliation, he could say: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for Good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive as they are today.” (Genesis 50: 20.)
As we consider the message being proclaimed by our churches this past weekend, we can also see how the death and resurrection of Jesus followed the same pattern. How the enemy must have gloated when Jesus hung on the cross, and finally died and was buried in the tomb. Did he dare think that the plans of God had finally been thwarted? Did he choose to turn a blind eye to all the prophecies promising Jesus’ defeat would only be temporary? We’ll never know. I don’t think I’d want to even try to get into the mindset of the devil. However, we do know that the disciples felt defeated when they saw Jesus’ death and burial. They didn’t understand, even though he’d tried to prepare them. Peter was afraid and denied him. We are told that many of the disciples fled, and we know that when Sunday came they were hiding away in fear and confusion.
Maybe our world right now is where the disciples were between Friday and Sunday. So many are afraid to go out of their homes. The news overwhelms us. The death tolls are scary. We ask if it will ever end. And this is why we need the hope of the resurrection. We need that reminder that Jesus always has a bigger plan. We may not understand it right now, but we have to believe he is working, just as he was during those days and nights when his body lay in the tomb.
On resurrection morning, I went out early to sit in my garden and listen to the birds. As I sat and pondered the miracle of Jesus rising from the dead, my heart was filled with hope and joy, and I reminded myself that Easter never has been and never will be cancelled. They may have temporarily closed our churches, but they have not silenced our message. Perhaps there are those attending church online who would never dare to enter a church building. Maybe now that we have been stripped of so many of the earthly things we rely on, we will finally recognise our need for the one who gave his life so we can have life eternal.
My prayer as I write is that many will consider Jesus, perhaps for the first time in their lives. I pray that fear will turn to rejoicing, as the good news of his death and resurrection is heard and accepted. I pray that the relevance of the gospel message will be made clear, and that people will realise the Bible is as relevant now as it ever was. Maybe it will take being stripped of all the things we have relied on for that to happen, and if it does, then those who are suffering will not have suffered in vain.
Let’s continue to pray for those who are ill, their families, and all who are caring for them. Let’s never give up pleading with the Lord to bring this season to an end, but let’s do so while clinging fervently onto the truths we have focused on this past weekend. Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again! His power is not diminished. We all need a Saviour. The Cross still stands, and Easter will never be cancelled.