Disclaimer: I want to place a disclaimer on this post so
that you are prepared before reading further. This post may offend you! The
thoughts in some way offend me—but I believe they are true. On the front end, I
want you to know that in some ways I am a prude. There, I said it. I find it
offensive when people do things like post their “Hollywood crush” on facebook.
I am usually more offended if the person is married (yes, blows my mind but
people really do this. . .as if their spouse is totally okay with it). Get
real! I have also been known to delete facebook friends (I don’t have that
many) who put pictures on the page that are in my opinion soft porn i.e.
scantily clad women or men. So, if you do not happen to be the least bit
prudish then my advice would be to ‘x’ out of this blog and come back again on
another day. Okay, that said. . . this is on my mind—
The morning after Easter is a peculiar time, wouldn’t you
agree? After the climax of what had to be the worst few days in the disciples’
lives—they are now living in the reality that He is alive. HE IS ALIVE!
Everything changed. Everything is changed.
Yet for those who “knew Him not” life returned to normal. Think for a moment, after the crucifixion—clean-up from the Earthquake began. People went on about their normal routines. Those who shouted “crucify Him” had succeed and after it was done-- they probably
returned home and began to prepare a meal after sundown. I’m sure it had to irritate the disciples that the “world” just went on as if nothing unusual had happened. They simply did
not grasp that God’s Promise had been crucified. Yet for the disciples, life spun out of control. . .their Center was dead. . .defeated they returned to the boat. . .waiting. . . but for what? Then came the morning when a few bleary-eyed women beheld the face of the One they loved. Nothing would ever be the same. Fast forward two-thousand and some odd years later. Monday morning seems like nothing has changed. What we celebrated yesterday has become old news on Monday. The church has returned to business as usual. How can this Monday morning feel so like last Monday? So I’ll tell ya’. . .I was irritated this morning. I’ll get to that in a second. But I’ve been irritated a bit lately—and it is an irritation pointed squarely at me! Jesus does not hold anyone responsible for my walk with Him other than--me. But Saturday night after our family celebrated a Messianic Seder meal together, I went into my living room full of awe at how the feasts, the celebrations point to Jesus—they are fulfilled in Him. There, staring at me from my mantle were five gaudy Easter baskets. I should’ve laughed but it wasn’t particularly funny. It was angst. How could I have spent my entire life coloring eggs, hiding eggs, finding eggs. . .yet I had never experienced the Passover meal? How had a woman raised in the church never raised the shank bone and beheld Jesus, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world? How come I had never been taught how the Old Covenant announced with the blast of the shofar—Messiah
has come! No wonder God had to shout through the heavenlies , “this is my beloved
Son—listen to Him” (Mark 9:7). Perhaps, if I’d been following the ordinances set before me I would recognize God when He comes. My argument is not that we try
to keep the law so that we have justification before God. Absolutely not! But I also don’t think we just chuck the Old Covenant now that Jesus has fulfilled it. We are free, as Paul
told the Galatians, we don’t have to keep the laws (not that the Hebrews or
anyone were able) but it doesn’t make sense to lose our spiritual heritage and
culture (we are the spiritual seed of Abraham and heirs according to the
promise (Gal.3:29) and instead decide to adopt the world’s culture. Makes no sense to me.
Back to my irritation this morning. Driving to the dentist, I see a church sign that says something to the effect, “bring your peeps”—with a cute Easter peep on the front. It was absolutely cute. Culturally, it fit right in. You might expect to see it on the sign for Dollywood or Disney or the like.
But a church! Really? Have we decided to become so “seeker sensitive” or “culturally relevant” (I told you this post might get offensive) that we are about cute signs to attract people. I would also like to know if anyone on this planet has ever graced the doors of a church based on one of our cute, yettrite signs? Why doesn’t the church—rather, why don’t I—decide to be a
lighthouse for the storm-threatened ship instead of a flashing neon sign
announcing “Fun here”? If the cross is offensive to those who are perishing
(1Cor. 1:18), then why are we trying to make it as palatable as possible? Do we
fear God can’t do his part? Is “saving grace” of us? Our clarion call should be--
once you have tasted from the all-you-can-eat-and-never-feel-satisfied buffet
of the world, Jesus offers a banquet feast of Himself—one that promises you
will never hunger and thirst again (John 4:14). Instead, the church in America seems
to be offering the world’s buffet--dessert served with a sprinkle of Truth.
Where are you disciples and leaders of the Church? Why do our children know how to color, hide, hunt and find prize eggs---yet they don’t know that when we hold up the shank bone we are remembering that Jesus became our Passover lamb. Why is there no wide-eyed wonder over the words of Jesus as He holds the cup of redemption, “this cup is the New Covenant in my blood,
which is poured out for you”? (Luke 22:20)
Why do my children, when they realize Easter is coming, ask when are we
going to color eggs? Why are they not asking, Mom, when are we going to
celebrate Jesus, our Passover Lamb? The truly sad part
is-- the world isn’t buying it. Why would a seeker want more of the same? Why
would you seek if the world is so satisfying? And why in the world is the
church reducing the offense of the cross to cute signs and Easter basket giveaways!?!
God help us to see that the Glory of the Father in the face of Christ was a spear-struck, bloody Lamb-- not an Easter bunny carrying goodies to entice children. God help us! We have lost the joy of the ordinances you set before us to teach our children. We have tossed the baby
out with the bathwater because we are afraid of being accused of legalism. And
we are at a loss to know Whose we are in the world and how to carry the gospel
forward as a beacon of hope to a dying world. For crying out loud, we look just like the
world. Father, forgive us—forgive me.
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