Dear friends in Christ:
Allow me to ask you a very personal question: Have you ever celebrated Easter with Lazarus? Listen to these words of our Lord as recorded for us in John 11:44b: “Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’”
I love this story of Jesus raising Lazarus. I always picture Jesus, with a loud, booming voice, shouting into that cavernous tomb, “Lazarus come out!” At the same time, imagine Mary, Martha, Jesus and the disciples waiting — almost holding their breath — while this figure wrapped in a burial garment struggles to the entrance of the tomb. There he is, encased like a mummy (as was and is Jewish tradition), face-to-face with Jesus, his friend. Then, I hear Jesus call out for his disciples to unbind Lazarus and set him free.
Like Lazarus, spiritually, all of us have been corpses (that’s the message of Lent). The Bible describes us as “being dead in trespasses and sins.” Yet, the Scriptures go on to say that Christ has made us alive. He has called you and me out of the grave we have dug for ourselves with our sinful acts, our disobedience and our rebellion against God — and set us free. This is where we all started off in life: in a tomb.
But that awesome, good news of the gospel is that Jesus, who has died our deaths and laid in our tombs, has been raised from the dead. He has called out to each of us in our sepulchers and invited us to receive his life in us, so that we can live.
God is in the business of life — not death. He has the power over death and can breathe life into anyone who knows he is dead and wants to live. If that is not reason to celebrate this Easter, I don’t know what is. If that’s not a message worth sharing with others this Easter, I don’t know what is!
But what about the grave clothes that bind us? What about the habits of the heart? What about past hurts and wounds? What about lies we have believed and the guilt that has dogged us? How do we get liberated from those things that hamper us and keep us from being free to live in Jesus?
From Lazarus’ Easter story, we know Jesus alone has the power to free us from all that holds us from living life. He heals all hurts — past and present. He forgives the evil and wrongdoings of our lives — past and present. He releases us from the lies that have bound us — past and present. He answers our fears, so we can face anything, secure in his presence and power — today and tomorrow. In Christ, our life is neither finished nor limited. There are no limiting cords with Jesus. We are set free to live — as the people of God! Alleluia! Alleluia!
On behalf of the members and staff at Hope Lutheran, let me invite you to our special worship opportunities beginning at 6:30 p.m., Maundy Thursday, April 17. On Good Friday, we will join for a special service of darkness at 6:30 p.m., and Easter begins with a Sonrise service at 7 a.m., followed by a delicious Easter breakfast. We’ll also host our Easter Egg-Stravaganza at 9:15 a.m. April 20, complete with hundreds of eggs that will be hidden, a special Easter Festival Worship at 10:30 a.m., and a Spanish worship at 5:30 p.m.
The Rev. Dean R. Pfeffer is the senior pastor at Hope Lutheran Church, Plant City. For more, email him at hopepcpastor@gmail.com.