The Easter season of our everyday lives

Did you take any extra time to sit with Jesus during these weeks of Lent?

I did. I took some time with Jesus while sitting in the tomb of life. My phone rang and all I heard was: He’s dead. He’s dead. Can you come? My heart sank. I jumped in my car and asked Christ to be with me and with this family. There was nothing that I could say but be there. The wife wept when she greeted me at the door and then took me to their room and there he was, lifeless. She wanted as much time as possible to be with his body. Together we blessed his body. She wept and mourned the loss of the man she loved. There was nothing that I could say. I could only be there, simply offering my presence.

The tomb of life is always present. I sat in the tomb of darkness with another friend who lost her husband almost a year ago. I always ask her, “How are you?” Her response is, “It’s different!” She has never felt sorry for herself. Jack’s sickness was really only three months, but during that sacred time, she cared for him with dignity and grace. She walked those painful days. She believed and still does. But it’s different.

Both stories are true and so real. Both stories share in the loss of someone they loved so deeply. It is only their faith and belief in Jesus Christ that will carry them through these very dark days. I can’t tell them what is happening within them. I really don’t know. But I can pray with them and encourage them to move forward. I believe Jesus Christ is with them on this journey. Through these dark days, transformation within their hearts and souls will slowly emerge. Resurrection of new life will come. But only in God’s time.

The season of sacrifice just doesn’t start on Ash Wednesday, followed by Palm Sunday as Jesus is welcomed, hailed as King, only to be followed up with the pain and suffering Holy Week and then finally the Alleluias and “Christ is Risen!” of Easter.

This season is our everyday lives. It is our every breath. It is not just the letting go of someone we love, but the letting go of what we know. It is embracing change, and oh, that is not easy. It is being able to recognize the darkness within our hearts, which perhaps have hardened over the years.

Allow Jesus in to help you begin the healing. Allow the stone to roll away. And imagine the burst of new life, new energy. The brilliant lights and the glory of your resurrection. This is just the beginning of what Jesus Christ promised as our lives continue to unfold. Easter is the core of our Christian faith. Not just for 40 days, or 40 years. It is every day of our earthly lives.

This story continues to be one of the great mysteries for humankind. The greatest gift of all is the gift of Jesus Christ. We rise with the Christ who showed us the way. We are Easter people. We are hope. We are love. And we are who we are as we continue to be transformed into the image of Jesus the Risen Christ.

Embrace this time of new life, of rising to new heights, within your own lives. Happy Easter!