 Listen to the advertising and you will hear Walt Disney World is a place “Where dreams come true.” In a way, that can be a correct statement. If what is meant by a
“dream” is to have a good time with your family and friends, then such
a dream can become a reality. Parents and grandparents take eager kids
to see Mickey -- and they do have lots of fun. But when I was at
Disney, I peeked, and I saw a regular guy under the Mickey Mouse
costume! It turns out that Mickey is just a cast member dressed up, not
really a cartoon mouse come to life. Parents understand that, and many
savvy kids do as well. In a similar
vein, our culture shakes its head at us Christians. When we celebrate
Easter, our culture acts as if we have entered the realm of the
imagination and have lost touch with the present.
“A Savior rising from the dead? I heard they just found Jesus’ bones
somewhere . . . A world filled with sin and the devil and angels and
demons? That’s a world with outmoded morality and strange views of
creation and answers to questions that people no longer ask,” they say.
“Too much of this and you will no longer be able to function. You won’t
be able to enjoy the good life. You will not get ahead in business if
you try that ‘love your neighbor’ stuff.”
That’s the world’s reaction. But when the angel announces Jesus’
resurrection, we learn that God’s ways are not our ways. His thoughts
are not our thoughts. When he shows us an empty tomb through the words
of eyewitnesses, he does not take us away from this world and lock us
up in some religious belief system that has no connection to reality.
No, God in Christ sets us free to experience a reality with deeper
meaning. We enjoy benefits to the
physical resurrection of Jesus and his payment for our sin. All of us
have sins that make us a bit nervous about going on . . . Anger at your
boss fractures your working relationship . . . Gossip about co-workers
makes friends your enemies . . . Ending an unwanted pregnancy begins a
life of horrible regret . . . A broken marriage, a broken childhood, a
broken relationship with God . . . These things happen and we are
uncertain how we can move on. It seems as if our life is a
disappointing mess. But God calls
us to remember one thing. He says, “My Son’s death and resurrection was
not a dream – it was real. He gave his life for you. Your sins are
forgiven. He has risen and rules and is now the author of life. Your
life. Through him, you are a child of my kingdom. In him, you are a
member of my family. With him, your life can now be part of my work in
history.” When God makes his love known in Jesus, we are freed from our
sins and life is new and fresh. Jesus is the author of your life, so
every day deepens in meaning. No wonder we give thanks on Easter Day
and sing his praises throughout our life. And
as they [the women] were frightened and bowed their faces to the
ground, the [angels] said to them, "Why do you seek the living among
the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you,
while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered
into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day
rise." And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they
told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. (Luke 24:5-9) |