Easter Ponderings

April 11, 2007 by Andy Lunt.

What a great thrill it was this past Easter Sunday to sing powerful choruses like Christ the Lord is Risen Today, He Reigns, and–of course–The Hallelujah Chorus with 500 or 600 other faithful followers of the risen Christ. I couldn’t help but think as we praised God together how awesome it will be to be able to repeat that same experience week after week in our new building. With seating for more than 500, we have the opportunity to involve many more people in praising God every week. What a blessing God has given us! May we always remember to use our new facility–along with everything God gives us–to praise and honor God.

As we enter this transition year, it’s hard to resist comparing our journey to the experience of the Hebrew people as they left Egypt, traveled through the wilderness and–finally–moved into the new land God had provided for them. I expect we will experience many of the same thoughts and feelings I imagine they experienced. No doubt we will grieve as we anticipate the loss of our life in the “Egypt” on Glen Mar Road. Despite the limitations of parking, seating and classroom space that make it virtually impossible to reach more people for Christ, it has been our home for many years. Many folks were born during our time there; countless others were baptized, confirmed, married. And it has been the place where we’ve learned to praise the Lord in worship.

In many ways we are entering our own wilderness experience. Though we have God’s promise and some idea of what the new land might be like, we cannot know for sure until we actually move in and begin to experience life there. Hopefully we can avoid some of the physical suffering the Hebrew people endured during their wilderness sojourn. No doubt we will experience many emotional pangs, though. It will be important and helpful for us to acknowledge and talk about the things we are feeling. It will be absolutely essential for us to accept, love and support each other on the journey.

While there is much we do not and cannot know about the year (and years) ahead, I am absolutely convinced of this much: our wilderness experience will produce the same result as that experienced by the Hebrews. It was during their time in the wilderness they realized that God was leading them. And it was during that same time they learned like never before to trust that God would provide for their needs no matter what.

I believe this next year will lead us to that same kind of trust in God to provide for us as we seek to follow God’s will for us.

It will be important for us to remember these bedrock values of our faith:

1) God never gives a blessing (like a piece of property or new building) as a reward for past service, but always as a way of equipping God’s people to serve God and others.

2) Whenever God calls an individual or a community to do anything, God always provides everything needed.

If we keep those assurances in our minds and hearts while loving and supporting one another as we travel through this next year, then I’m confident that–when next Easter rolls around–we will be able to Praise the Lord in even more awesome and majestic ways!

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