He is Risen?

What now?

Mondays are my normal day off. They are usually a flurry of activity, but the Monday after Easter doesn’t qualify. I managed a trip to the grocery store, but wasn’t surprised when I saw that the little packages of marshmallow “PEEPS” were buy one get one free! It happens every year in the church as well. The exclamation point behind “He is Risen!” gets replaced by a question mark.

So, what do we do now? There were nearly 2.5 times the number of people in worship this Easter as compared with an average week. More people came this year than last year. Some came and experienced a moving service or message or song, yet left completely unchanged for a variety of reasons. But some also came and experienced something that spoke to them. They felt the Spirit moving in their life, they connected with someone new, or were finally open to hearing the Story for the first time.

We have a chance to show how people of different backgrounds and viewpoints and cares and concerns come together to give glory to God for this marvelous gift we have been given through the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Making the Connection

Now, we have a chance in the coming weeks to make connections with people as they engage with the community of Good Shepherd. We have a chance to show people what the new commandment Jesus gave to us on Maundy Thursday looks like in real life. We have a chance to show how people of different backgrounds and viewpoints and cares and concerns come together to give glory to God for this marvelous gift we have been given through the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In her sermon on Easter Sunday, Pastor Dara proclaimed that “the world needs Jesus.” I think this is a great rally cry for our community, as we look to replace question marks with exclamation points of faith. This is our why. We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. We are called to boldly go out and share why this story matters and why it’s important in our life. We are called to do this through prayer, through sharing stories about our community and what’s happening here.

What is your why?

So this week, as unclaimed Easter eggs lay rotting in parks throughout America, I challenge each of us to think about our “why.” Why does this story matter to us? Why will we be back next week? Why will we be serving in our neighborhoods, or meeting with small groups, or praying for a neighbor? And why should anyone care? Why? Because the world needs Jesus.  Our communities and the people in them need Jesus. They need the gathered community at Good Shepherd, and the world needs people like you to tell them! Your faith matters today more than ever.

I’d love to know, what is your “why?” Let me know, and leave a comment below.

Peace,
Pastor Joe