Ten Minutes for Teachers
Apr.
8, 2007
Vol. 8, Issue 2
Worship
Texts: Exodus 12; Psalm 118; John 20:1-18
Worship
Theme: I’ve Seen the Lord
Other
Texts: Luke 24:1-12; acts 10; I Corinthians 15
Reminders:
Sunrise
Service & Breakfast: Consider
joining us this Sunday at 6:00 am for
an opportunity to await the arrival of our Easter hope and welcome this glad
day. Following the Sunrise Service, we also have the opportunity to enjoy breakfast together.
Sunday school and
second service will be at their ordinary times.
Devotion:
There are many things that now symbolize American culture – jazz,
baseball, the cheeseburger. In the past
couple of years, though, you may have noticed the reemergence of another
classic American symbol (if it ever did wane):
comic book superheroes. While the
format has changed from print to film, the popularity of famous characters like
Batman, Spider-man and Superman seems as strong as the days of Adam West and
Christopher Reeve.
Right about now you are probably wondering, “what in the
world does this have to do with Easter?”
Consider, if you will, the reaction that the empty tomb
created within Jesus’ closest friends and family. The news that Jesus’ tomb was empty (which
was delivered by heavenly agents) downright terrified and bewildered a group of
women when they first heard it (Lk. 24:5).
And Peter – fresh off the most disturbing and lonely couple of days in
his life – ran to the empty tomb only to walk away in complete amazement –
shocked in wonder (Lk. 24:12). Naturally
so. How else can you respond to an empty
tomb and the declaration that God had raised Jesus from death to life?
The Augsburg
curriculum reminds us that “Easter is about changing our frame of reference
from the expected to the incredible.”
Easter is miraculous.
It is full of wonder and the triumph of good over evil. Which is to say that America’s
great interest in comic book superheroes may be indicative of an underlying
hope we all have. We all desire to
witness the incredible, the awesome.
The majesty of Easter is in recognizing that our hope for
the incredible is not simply fairy-tales and pipe-dreams.
This Sunday is Easter,
and there is no reason to restrict the wonderful to comic books and movie
screens. So, I hope you can come with fresh
eyes – to experience Easter all over again as an incredible, marvelous story.
Something
to Chew On:
What makes Easter so incredible is that it is a hope and life born out of
despair and darkness. The good news
about Jesus’ resurrection is prefaced by the disturbing news that Jesus – the
very son of God – found himself scorned, ridiculed and killed.
There are two more opportunities for you to walk into the
valley so that you might appreciate the mountain-top view of Easter. Today, there will be a Good Friday service at
noon and 6 pm in the chapel.
Then, tomorrow, there will be a Great Vigil of Easter
service, which will help signify the transition out of emptiness and silence
into new life and good news. The service
will begin at 7 pm here at the
church.
Prayer for the day:
“Alleluia! We thank you, O God, for our
new life in Christ. Join our voices and
our hearts with your servants in every place and time. Alleluia!” - Seasons of the Spirit: Ages
12-14. Pg. 39
