He is Risen!–Are We Ready?

It’s 1 AM Easter morning. I’ve just finished baking a from scratch chocolate cake for Easter dinner, which I cleverly decorated in an Easter theme. I also cooked up a loaf of French toast to take to the church potluck in the morning. I’m no fool. I know that kids are the first through any potluck line, so I quartered each piece in the hope that an adult or two might get a taste. Luckily, our church decision makers are not insane, and they choose the decent hour of 9 AM to start eating.

As I wrote that, I was taken back two decades to when we did have a true sunrise service. How bone-chilling cold it was. How awesome to feel whole world waiting to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. How amazing those first rays of sunlight were. How deeply my heart was touched. I hope I haven’t become so jaded that I would give that up for a few hours more of sleep, but at least I don’t have to make that choice this year.

Anyway, as I cleaned up in the kitchen and filled the Easter baskets, I popped the end of Romans and the beginning of 1 Corinthians (The Message version) into my portable CD player. (Kids, that’s a weird circular machine we used before MP3 players. It doesn’t even store one song! You have to put the actual CD into the reader. Totally weird, right?)

What if Jesus came back and I were listening to the Bible? How cool would that be. I supposed the only things that would be better for me to be doing would be talking about the Gospel with a person I’d just led to the Lord’s feet. Or giving a cold cup of water to a thirsty traveler. Or pouring hot coals over my enemy’s head–by my kindness, of course!

Today is Easter. We’re celebrating God’s coming back from the dead. We yearn for His next victorious return. So let’s make sure we’re ready. Let’s make sure those we come in contact with today know what the day is all about.