I forgot Easter???

Can you believe this? I forgot that Easter was coming up until a couple days before...I did remember it a few weeks ago and forgot again. To say the least, you might wonder if I have any religious bones in my body. I guess I don't have many left. (amy defining religion as: man-made efforts and traditions to connect with God on a mostly superficial level)

Don't misunderstand, though. I love Jesus and love the fact that his love and power resurrected Him. That's so amazing and I am deeply thankful that he demonstrated his love like that. I guess the 'holiday' of Easter just doesn't click with me. A new friend of mine said, "I don't remember Jesus saying anything like, 'thou shalt celebrate my resurrection in early spring'..."

If I remember correctly, we can remember his death and resurrection every time we break bread. Now...I do NOT think it's wrong to set aside this season like the early church and honor the sacred process of church history. Nah, I think it's really cool. But the holiday is not the sacred thing. It's Jesus. He is the point. The gift of Jesus' loving sacrifice. His gift of the Holy Spirit.

I like what the author Anne Lamott said about such things, "We are Easter people living in a good Friday world." She said something on that order...and man, I guess that's pretty true. I also think that sometimes even 'we' forget that are 'Resurrection' people.

Are we not people who know that Jesus' death and resurrection makes all things new? ...that real, abundant life is available. Sometimes we forget that and wallow around in a Good Friday, broken, mire of life that feels like Failure with a capital F.

From my pastoral heart, I want more for us. I dream of a church community that spends so much time loving each other through the details of life and healing, that we remind each other of who we really are and who Jesus wants to be in our lives....and that out of this healthy place of genuine relationship, we would serve others with a heart like Jesus.