Celebrate Easter Big -- Lent: Day 33

Scripture – Galatians 6:11-18

In v. 11 we see Paul wants his readers to understand the significance of what he is about to say (He’s typing in CAPS & BOLD print!).  Then in v. 12 Paul speaks boldly and with uncalculated risk.  Even in his day a segment of believers were striving to make a “good showing in the flesh” by “compelling others to be circumcised.  Many Christians do the same thing today as we take our focus off the cross of CHRIST and the demands of the authentic GOSPEL OF JESUS and put it on religious busyness and works.

Like Tommy Roe I can sing:  Dizzy, I'm so dizzy my head is spinning . . .Like a whirlpool it never ends!  As long as we are busy with our religious activity we don’t have to think about what JESUS is calling us to . . . a life of death, denial, and cross bearing. 

Here we are in the midst of the holiest season of all, approaching the most foundational spiritual and historical event in the entire history of the world and we are busy doing our normal religious activities unaware of the tragedy of this misplaced energy. 

And as we continue to busy ourselves with our everyday church activity we escape the “persecution of the cross.”  The cross is dark, bloody, messy, and calls for our death.  We don’t want to deal with such things.  But as we ignore the cross bearing we miss the glory, the power, and the celebratory grandeur of the resurrection . . . even the resurrection becomes mundane to us.

We have the advantage of knowing the outcome of Passion Week and we have opportunity to prepare ourselves to CELEBRATE EASTER BIG but we risk missing it.  Has the suffering of the cross, the bloodiness of the cross, the death, burial, and resurrection  become mundane to us?   Has Easter become just another holiday for us?

In v.13 Paul says these religious busybodies “do not even keep the Law themselves.”  They would rather focus on their church growth figures and evangelistic recruits so they can boast in the flesh of those they have conquered.

Then Paul brings us back to what is most important:  “May it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our LORD JESUS CHRIST (v. 14).”  None of the things that keep us so busy during this season matter.  The only thing that really matters is that we are “a new creation” in CHRIST JESUS (v. 15) and that is possible because of the true meaning of Easter:  GOD has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of JESUS CHRIST from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of GOD through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5).

CHURCH . . . STOP EVERYTHING AND FOCUS!   

JESUS IS Risen . . . !

Richard Holloman