The Grinch who Stole Easter?

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 (ESV)

^“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”

I can’t believe it.  Is it true?  This Holy Week looks to be like no other in my lifetime, and not in a good way.  This is always my favorite week of the year as a Pastor. I love the traditions of our Holy Week worship services.  I love to watch the Sunday School children marching down the center aisle on Palm Sunday, waving palm branches and shouting Hosanna.  On Maundy Thursday begins the service of the three days.  We gather, as Jesus and His disciples did, to celebrate Holy Communion.  The service ends in solemn silence as the altar is stripped bare in preparation for Good Friday.   The Good Friday service, the service of Tennebrae, is something I look forward to every year.  As we meditate and sing our way through the story of our Lord’s passion, the sanctuary becomes gradually darker, until in complete darkness and silence, we leave contemplating the great sacrifice of our Savior.  Then comes Easter Sunday with all the music, and the shouts of praise as we celebrate the victory of Jesus over sin, death and Satan.

This year there will be none of that. We won’t be together waving palms.  We won’t be together when the candle is carried out on Good Friday and the loud noise jars us back to attention.  There will be no packed services… no Easter Egg hunt… no Easter breakfast.  Why?  Because some Grinch named COVID 19 has stolen Easter.  I am truly bummed about this.  The Grinch could never steal Christmas, how is it that he succeeded in stealing Easter?

Well, he didn’t!  Let that sink in.  We might not be together in our houses of worship this Holy Week, but that does not change the meaning, the joy, the hope of the season!  That’s doesn’t alter at all the great works that our God accomplished for our salvation.  That doesn’t change the fact that Jesus really did enter Jerusalem to waving palm branches and shouts of “Hosanna!”.  COVID 19 might cause us to forgo Holy Communion for a little while, but it cannot ever take away from us this great gift that is the Lord’s Supper.  Whatever happens to our Holy Week worship in 2020, that does not cancel what Jesus did on that first Good Friday when He died for the sins of the world, for your sins and mine.  Its still true that Jesus died for us, once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous that He might bring us to God.

Most important of all, whether we are together or in our homes watching a live streamed service – the message of the angels still rings loud and clear to us, just as it did to those women on that first Easter, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here!  He is risen, just as He said.”   There is no Grinch, no virus, no devil that can change that great truth on which our hope of eternity is built and made certain. Paul’s words to the Corinthians are still true - “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”   It makes me want to start celebrating right now… to shout out at the top of my lungs that great word – “A…….!”   Oops, can’t say that yet.  It’s still Lent.  But you get my point.  There is not grinch who can snatch us out of God’s hands, nor steal from us the great good news of Christ’s death and resurrection.  I just know that this Holy Week and Easter will be one of the best ever, one we will never forget – for it is the hope of Christ that will get us through this pandemic and every trouble to bring us at last to His kingdom.  Amen!