Easter Season

We’re in Easter.   Easter is a hopeful time for me.   Or at least it symbolizes hopefulness.   It’s like a “Do-over”.   You remember the Do-over from when you were a kid?   If your turn didn’t go well, you could call a “do-over” and you’d be able to do your turn again as if the first turn didn’t count.   Whatever happened in the past, that doesn’t have to be the final say.   The past doesn’t have to hold you back.   Do Over!

That’s Easter.   New life…  resurrection… new start… Do over

In the “1^st Samuel” story, Samuel wants to “mark” the change.   When he put up the stone marker, he said, “God is my help – so far God has helped us.”   With God’s help, we’ll move forward.    Ebenezer stone – a stone structure that “marks” something special about God.  It’s a way of marking time… like; “from this point forward….”   Something will be different than the way it was before.   

I know, this almost sounds like a spiritual or religious New Year’s Resolution.  Or something like a kind of Lenten discipline, where some people give up something or add something in their lives in order to focus on some deeper aspect of life.  This past Lent, my wife decided to change some aspect of her diet in order to focus deeper on some spiritual part of life.   For the forty days of Lent, she certain things, but didn’t eat certain others.   For her, this Lent was “marked” in that regard.

About 12 years ago or so, I was in a sort of depression.   It wasn’t a clinical thing as much as a long-term “blues” that cast a dark shadow over life in general.   I spent many an early morning learning the ways of property-flipping on those 30 minute infomercials they have out there at that hour of the night.   Well, one night, I ended up settling on the channel that showed the “Best Ranger competition”.   I saw military men running and jumping and doing all kinds of soldier skills as they competed against others.  I said to myself – “I used to do that!”   Back in my early 20's I was part of an Army unit that, aside from doing a lot of Infantry training, also trained to compete in a variety of soldier skills - similar kind of thing called "Ranger Challenge".   The memory of what I had done 13 years prior motivated me to get back into shape again.   That moment was “marked” for me, and it lead to a whole lot of years of training and a variety of challenging and fun competitions that I'm still enjoying.

Sometimes for us, positive changes can be marked by something.   Sometimes it’s an inner change (like how we see ourselves, how we see God, or how we see life) reflected outwardly (like in a new job, or a new style of clothes, or something like that).   This “marked” time can be reflective of a very positive change in us.   Whenever I think of Easter, I think of this. 

But the reading from the Book of Acts shows us that sometimes the rest of the world may not always buy our new start.   Sometimes the rest of the world may not buy our new start.   Sometimes there are forces and energies that try to keep us from changing for the better. 

In the story from the Book of Acts, Peter and the other disciples are changed by their experience with Jesus.  They’re changed!    And they start a whole new life.    Remember that Acts is basically the Gospel of Luke, volume 2.    It’s written by the same author, and it continues that same story, picking up post Jesus.

Peter and the other disciples have been preaching and healing, very much like the work that Jesus did.   And in this volume, Peter is not like the Peter in volume 1.    In volume 1 he was brash, he didn’t understand things Jesus told him, he flew off the handle.   Here, he’s got a measured confidence based on inner strength.   Here, Peter isn’t slipping under the waves when Jesus calls him to walk on water.    Here he calls someone back to life.   Here he doesn’t deny Jesus, here he boldly proclaims Jesus crucified and risen.

The community in Jerusalem is growing- says Chapter 5.   But the religious leaders are angry – they are “jealous” (so says my bible version Acts 5:17).   Peter and the others are questioned.   “Didn’t we tell you NOT to do this stuff?!”    And they basically respond- “We can’t help it!  We have to!”

I see this as a metaphor for life – the thing is, sometimes there’s a need in us that must be expressed in our lives.   Sometimes we get to a place in life where what we feel inside has to come out.   And we mark that moment.

There’s story where Luther is standing in from of the Church authorities as he is being questioned for his controversial writings, and he says – God help me.   Here I stand… I can do no other!   Maybe there comes a time in our lives where, by all that’s holy and healthy in us, we need to express this new vision in our lives.  

But we all know – as positive as these changes may be in our lives… as positive as we think these changes may be for us…  they can certainly be threatening for others!   I can pretty much tell you that not everyone will find your positive changes positive for them!  You're probably going to hit obstacles as you try to live out this new way of living.    I knew a Rabbi who used to say that sometimes it seems that when we’re about to make a break-through in our lives, the negative forces coalesce to try and prevent this from happening. 

But Peter and the other apostles weren’t dissuaded.   They weren’t dissuaded because these changes were from God.  If – in your life – you sense the need to change something… if you sense that this change comes from God… for your greater health – for your greater healing – for your greater living…     Use discernment for sure – test the spirit – as Paul says… then move forward, no matter the obstacles.   

Now – there is no guarantee that it will all turn out perfectly!    There is no guarantee that it will all be pleasant!   There is no guarantee that there will be no pain!    But there IS a guarantee that you will have more peace in your heart – knowing you’re moving in the direction that you feel God is calling you to.    There is a guarantee that you’ll have more of a sense of following God’s will more fully.    In spite of the obstacles, there may be more of a sense of joy… there may be a deeper sense of “right-ness”.

If you feel the spirit – don’t let fear stop you.    Trust.     Move forward .   Let the Spirit of Easter – of New Life – of Resurrection – of Do-over…   guide you!

We "mark" these moments in our outer lives because they've already been "marked" in out inner lives.     

Happy Resurrection!