“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Pt 1:3).
With so much going on in the world around us right now, it’s easy to focus on the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the problems it’s causing. When I’m not careful about the media I consume, I get lost in the dire news predictions. My attention moves from God and what I know is true about him to fear and uncertainty.
Even though I want to focus on God, I let the chaos around me take my attention. In fact, I realized I had almost forgotten about Easter when I opened my YouVersion Bible app and saw the Easter Bible study plans there.
It’s important to acknowledge what’s going on in the world around us. We should stay informed. But we shouldn’t stay stuck in fear and uncertainty. As followers of Jesus, we know that we have hope beyond this world and the troubles we face now. Thanks be to God for sending Jesus to us over two millennia ago. Because of Jesus’s death and resurrection, we know we will live again with him if we believe and confess that he is Lord. We will see our loved ones who’ve gone before us.
This Easter, things will look and feel a little different. We’ll gather for church online instead of in a building. Meeting online lacks the emotional and physical connection we receive in corporate worship, but the Bible says where two or more are gathered, God is with us (Mt 13:20). When we meet online, as strange as it may feel, thousands, even millions, gather. I believe God hears us as we praise him and pray for our loved ones, our healthcare workers, our government officials, our nation, and our world—#alonetogether.
This Easter, don’t let these challenging circumstances keep you from celebrating. No matter what’s going on in the world around us, we can be thankful for the gift of Jesus. Through his life on earth, he gave us an example of how to live and treat others. We have evidence that he understands our emotions, which may be all over the place right now. And his death and resurrection provide a way to bridge the gap that sin created between us and God. For this reason, we celebrate.
Dear Jesus, thank you for coming to earth to bridge the gap between me and God. Help me to focus on the celebration of your life, death, and resurrection this Easter and beyond. I pray we will show your love to others during this difficult time so that all may come to know and believe in you. Amen.