An area church is promoting its Good Friday and Easter Sunday services with this tagline: “Discover a Good Friday and a better Sunday.”
Are. You. Kidding. Me? I agree with Good Friday. Everyone calls it that. Good Friday is “good,” actually it’s great as my Savior died for my sins on Calvary’s cross on a Friday that we call good.
But…Easter Sunday is simply a “better” (yes, it’s not capitalized) Sunday? Lutherans love to ask: “What does this mean?” Honestly, truly, what does this even mean?
Better than what?
I think you get my point. Seriously, honestly, what makes Easter Sunday “better”? (Again, with the lack of capitalization)
There is this: the book of Hebrews speaks of Christ as “better” than a whole host of things: angels, Moses, priests, high priests, the covenant of the law, the Old Testament sacrifices. Indeed, Christ is “better” than all of these items, although the words actually used in the original language translate far more spectacularly than “better.” Descriptions such as “greater, superior, more powerful, more excellent” power the narrative. Some examples:
To keep with (tongue in cheek) the minimalist spirit of a “better” Sunday for Easter, I offer this: Easter isn’t about better; it’s about nothing. Early Sunday morning, April 20th, you and I will run in faith to our Savior’s tomb, and like Peter and John, we’ll look inside. And what will we see? “Better?” Oops, sorry, “better? (small “b”)”
Here’s what we will see: Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The tomb will be empty! And that nothing, my dear brothers and sisters, is everything. It isn’t just better, it isn’t just an upgrade, it isn’t just an improvement, it isn’t just a ray of light at the end of a long dark tunnel. That nothing is everything.
Paul declares it: “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2) The whole package of the “nothing” of Christ crucified includes Christ risen from the dead. Again, this nothing is everything!
We can do better than “better.” Our God is glorious! Our Savior is risen from the dead! Life with God is ours now and forever! Alleluia!
See you at the empty tomb!
Pastor Stephen Luchterhand
Are. You. Kidding. Me? I agree with Good Friday. Everyone calls it that. Good Friday is “good,” actually it’s great as my Savior died for my sins on Calvary’s cross on a Friday that we call good.
But…Easter Sunday is simply a “better” (yes, it’s not capitalized) Sunday? Lutherans love to ask: “What does this mean?” Honestly, truly, what does this even mean?
Better than what?
- Will the weather be better? No ice storm like a couple weeks back?
- Will the attendance be better?
- Will the coffee and cookies for fellowship time be better? Or Easter brunch, if that sort of thing is done?
- Will the sermon be better? Will it be (hopefully) shorter?
- Will the offerings be better?
- Will the live-streaming be better than it sometimes is?
- Will the music/musicians/singers/performers be better?
- Will the egg hunt be better than elsewhere or than last year’s?
- Will there be actual, live bunnies in the yard when this is happening?
I think you get my point. Seriously, honestly, what makes Easter Sunday “better”? (Again, with the lack of capitalization)
There is this: the book of Hebrews speaks of Christ as “better” than a whole host of things: angels, Moses, priests, high priests, the covenant of the law, the Old Testament sacrifices. Indeed, Christ is “better” than all of these items, although the words actually used in the original language translate far more spectacularly than “better.” Descriptions such as “greater, superior, more powerful, more excellent” power the narrative. Some examples:
- “The Son became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.” (Hebrews 1:4)
- “Jesus is worthy of greater glory than Moses.” (Hebrews 3:3)
- “In the one case, every priest stood ministering day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which are never able to remove sin. In the other case, this priest, after he offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God.” (Hebrews 10:11,12) All of these verses declare more than and cry out for more than “better.”
To keep with (tongue in cheek) the minimalist spirit of a “better” Sunday for Easter, I offer this: Easter isn’t about better; it’s about nothing. Early Sunday morning, April 20th, you and I will run in faith to our Savior’s tomb, and like Peter and John, we’ll look inside. And what will we see? “Better?” Oops, sorry, “better? (small “b”)”
Here’s what we will see: Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The tomb will be empty! And that nothing, my dear brothers and sisters, is everything. It isn’t just better, it isn’t just an upgrade, it isn’t just an improvement, it isn’t just a ray of light at the end of a long dark tunnel. That nothing is everything.
Paul declares it: “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2) The whole package of the “nothing” of Christ crucified includes Christ risen from the dead. Again, this nothing is everything!
We can do better than “better.” Our God is glorious! Our Savior is risen from the dead! Life with God is ours now and forever! Alleluia!
See you at the empty tomb!
Pastor Stephen Luchterhand
RSS Feed
