Good Friday Sorrow, Easter Joy
By Bishop Chris Giesler
Assigned Texts: Luke 24:1-12
In the summer of my 15th year, I spent four weeks with my uncle, aunt, and family in Nova Scotia, Canada. Job #1 for me during those weeks was getting to know them better since they lived so far away from us. Job #2 for those weeks was to assist my uncle in building an addition to his house. He was quite a good carpenter, and I learned a lot from him. I immediately noticed how careful he was when laying the foundation to ensure that each block was laid on a flat surface and aligned perfectly straight. At each corner, the measurements had to be just exact. After watching him use a level to ensure everything was perfect, I asked, what would happen if the foundation was just an eighth of an inch off? After all, I really could not see the difference. He said while you might not notice the difference down here in the foundation, by the time you put a 10-foot post into it, you will be a couple of inches off at the top. Furthermore, each corner must be at exactly a 90-degree angle because while it might look okay at the corner, you will be several inches off when you run the 12 feet over to the other corner. So, the foundation must be right, or the rest of the structure will be compromised, and you will spend the rest of your time trying to adjust. It is best to start right.
It is no different with our Christian faith. We must get the foundation set correctly because, as time goes on, any distortion will cause more problems than it will solve.
The message of Easter is the foundation, and here is what it means. God wants a dynamic and eternal relationship with each one of us. John 3:16 is just the beginning of what that means. This is a relationship that supports you in your daily life, a relationship that helps you make important decisions, and a relationship that guides the way you use the blessings of your life. God wants a relationship that enables you to use all of who you are for the glory of God’s kingdom here on earth, how you use your gifts and talents, and how you use your time. And YES, how you spend and use your money.
The Easter message is also that nothing in life is beyond the redemptive power of God, no matter how desperate the situation might seem. Things looked terrible on the first day of the week for Jesus’ mother, Mary, his friends such as Mary Magdalene, and his disciples like Peter, James, and John. But once those women got to the tomb, that desperation eventually turned into bewilderment and then to joy. The message of Easter is dynamically rooted in the sorrow of Good Friday. That same power of new possibilities is alive in our lives today.
As we gather on Easter day, it is essential for each of us to ponder where our stories fit into the Easter message. What fear, doubt, or obstacle can you bring to the empty tomb? We all have Good Fridays lurking in our souls. So, what in your life, vocation, work, and relationships needs to be renewed by an Easter faith?
On June 22nd, 2023, Jim and Jena Kelly experienced what has to be one of the hardest things for parents to face: the unexpected passing of their 4-year-old son. The unfortunate event happened while Beau was on a playground having fun when he died from a heart condition.
“We were trying to get through the grief process,” Jim Kelly said recently in a Morning Call article, reflecting on the upcoming 2nd anniversary of Beau’s passing. He said, “You look at different ways to manage things. One thing we learned was that to us, helping others was something that made the best out of a bad situation.”
Soon came the idea of creating a playground. The Kellys spoke to their pastor at The Mount Bethel Lutheran Brethren Church, where they are members. The church offers children’s programs, including a preschool, but it has no outdoor place for youngsters to play and recreate on their 15-acre property. The pastor indicated that while they had plans for a play area, they could not afford the equipment. With the money that has already been raised, along with some pending grants and an upcoming fundraising event, they hope to have the estimated $92,000 needed to design and build the play area, including slides, monkey bars, a jungle gym, and even a few benches for adults to sit on.
While Easter assures us that Beau is in the loving arms of our Savior, Easter has also brought to life new ministry, relationships, and beauty. Where there was darkness, light is beginning to shine.
Those disbelieving disciples who found the women’s news of an empty tomb to be an idle tale will soon be taking the Easter story from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Good Friday grief, fear, and despair became Easter joy and a lifetime mission. Easter now calls us to bring our families, communities, and, in fact, the world to the empty tomb, so that even the most unfortunate situations might be given new life and hopeful possibilities.
Without any doubt, this is the very foundation of the Christian life. Accept the great love of God, the new life of grace in Jesus Christ, and the very presence of God with each day through the Holy Spirit.
