April 6th: Restoration for a Cracking Self

 County Mayor's Notes – April 6th, 2020 – Allen Foster

Easter is actually about hope and restoration in the Christian faith. The hope is based on the reality of the empty tomb. It is the sign that death no longer has the final say on our life. Forgiveness overcomes damnation, shame is erased by God's assurance. That is our restoration.

Easter is also about the community. The early disciples spent their time together after Jesus was crucified. Even though they were told about his death and his resurrection, they were afraid because they didn't comprehend the immense impact of that very event. However, they were together as they tried to cope with Jesus' crucifixion.

I have been trying very hard to integrate Easter Eggs into my teaching about Easter and to be true to the Biblical message of Easter. The best I can come up with is to compare the early disciples of Jesus to Easter Eggs. Some of you might have to come across this saying:

"Friends are like Easter eggs. You’re surprised at what you find inside them once you crack open their shells."

The early disciples were Jesus' friends. Many of them had heard his teaching, witnessed his miracles, observed his interaction with the outcasts, shared the last meal with him, was asked to be with him in the Garden of Gethsemane before his death...yet some of them were cracked under pressure during the time of the crucifixion. Peter even denied knowing him three times They were afraid that Roman authority would go after them so hid together. The first one that went to his tomb was not even one of them.

So what is inside your shell? Do you find yourself being cracked by the stress and the uncertainty of this Covid-19 pandemic? Are you one of those Easter eggs that is filled with an amazing flavorful filling or one of those Easter eggs that is completely hollow inside? What fills you up at this period of time?

"From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."
(Matthew 16: 21)

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