A Rugged Cross,an Empty Tomb, & Everything that Lays in Between

As we officially head into the final week before Easter. I have been reflecting a lot about Lent, the Passion Week, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. It is sobering for me to realize how unfocused I am on the weight of Jesus' sacrifice, on the significance of his resurrection, on Jesus' conquering death. Easter becomes a service that we do, instead of an event experienced and remembered. As much as one wants to quote abstract theory about how the Church has arrived at the place where Easter is seen primarily  as an opportunity to get new people into the doors of our churches, the reality is talk is cheap and ineffectual. We must regain the gravity of the resurrection. We must meditate on the meaning and significance of the cross. We must cling to the hope of the empty tomb. Two things have been very provoking for me as I reflect on Easter; the first is an album called Songs for Lent by New York Hymns, which can be downloaded for free, and a video I stumbled upon on YouTube that mixes Johnny Cash's song Hurt with the stations of the cross. So this Easter season may you draw near to the cross as you reflect.  May you find meaning in your actions as you invite people to partake in the resurrection.  May you remember that Easter is about the slaughtered lamb reigning in victory.