Easter was this past Sunday. Lent ended the day before.
Now, it is time for us to reflect on their impact. To do so requires questions.
And as everyone knows, I like to ask questions.
Question One: Are you (Am I?) any different than we were when we woke up on the morning of February 13 (Ash Wednesday)?
Now it's possible to deflect or avoid this question. I could answer it that, of course I am different because during this time, I have (after three years of a pet free life) again become a cat owner, I have acquired a smart phone (proving that opposites attract), and Syracuse has returned to the Final Four.
But Question One concerns our relationship with God, not with our pets and possessions and certainly not with our favorite sports teams.
For those of us who have answered "Yes, I am different" the rest of this article is optional. You are not required to read it, although you may choose to do so to see if it holds either value or amusement for you.
But for those of us who have answered "No," moving on to the next question is mandatory.
Question Two: Whose fault is it that we are not any different?
Not one of us would publicly admit we considered the first option. But let me suggest that we subconsciously elect that first answer way more often than we want to admit. Have you ever thought, "I would be a lot better Christian if I had an encounter with him like Paul had on the road to Damascus!" [When we do this, we need to recall the story of Thomas in John 20: 19-31]
But since no one will admit to even considering that first option, let's look at the second, the one where we blame the church.
This one is a bit awkward for as the hymn goes, "I am the church. You are the church. We are the church together." And in our membership vows we commit ourselves to strengthening and participating in the church's ministries.
Thus in blaming the church we are blaming ourselves - or at least admitting our failure to live up to our commitments. [I said it was a bit awkward.]
To sort this out, let's ask ourselves some more questions:
Did I attend the Ash Wednesday service? Did I attend the Holy Thursday service? Did I attend the showing of "The Passion of The Christ?" Did I attend the Friday morning Lenten devotions? Did I attend the Sub-district communion breakfast? Did I worship on all six Lenten Sundays?
If our answers are substantially "No," then we follow up with the question "Why?" In some cases the reason is physical, educational, family, or employment limitations. The real answer - in most cases - is that we chose to give priority to something else.
Unless we answer "Yes" to a couple of follow up questions:
"Did I do anything special on my own to observe Lent privately?" "Did I suggest to the church any additional opportunities to make Lent and Easter more meaningful?"
we are stuck with the third option, "It's our own fault."
And thus we have to admit that our answers confirm (A) that (to paraphrase President Kennedy) we too often ask what Christ and His church can do for us rather than asking what we can do for Christ and His church and (B) that we too often let the world take such a hold of us that we do not take God seriously enough long enough.
We reflect on all this now because, fortunately, it is never too late to let the events of Easter and the days before it impact our lives and our relationship with God.
Jim