by Andrew Book

Most people don’t realize why Christians have historically gathered for worship on Sunday. Sunday is not the Sabbath day set aside by God as a day of rest at the beginning of creation (that is Saturday) or the day of Jesus’ birth or his death. Instead, Sunday is the day of resurrection. Sunday is the day Jesus defeated death and rose from the grave. Sunday is the traditional day of Christian worship because Easter was on a Sunday, so every time the church gathers on Sunday we are proclaiming the event which most defines us as a people is Jesus’ resurrection.

The history of gathering on Sunday goes back to Biblical times (Acts 20:7; Revelation 1:10,) when the church decided the defining event of who we are as God’s people is Jesus’ resurrection. They had many options: They could have stuck with Sabbath worship on Saturday; they could have moved worship to Friday if they wanted to see the defining event of Jesus’ life as his death on the cross; or they could have sought to figure out what day Jesus was born on if they wanted to view Christmas as the central event of our faith. However, they did none of those things. They established the church’s primary day of worship on Sunday. They declared in a very practical and very tangible way that we, as Christians, are people defined by Easter.

There is nothing magical about worshipping on Sunday. In fact, Paul makes clear that holding any day above another is a matter of personal faith that can vary among God’s people (Romans 14:5-6.)  There is, however, something vital about being shaped by Jesus’ resurrection. Being resurrection people means we recognize that it is God — not death — who gets the final word. It means we know that no matter what challenges, pains, hardships and sorrows we face, God is still present with us to redeem all that has been broken and lost. Easter declares that God wins!

One of my biggest privileges as a pastor is leading funerals and memorial services. As painful as those times are, I find it to be an honor to stand with family and friends as they grieve.   treasure the privilege of declaring the Good News that death does not get the final word. Before we conclude a service of death and resurrection (that is the official title of a funeral in the United Methodist Church,) I almost always share these words from the final book of the Bible: “3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21:3-4.)

This hope and assurance is what it means to be defined by Easter. We know that God will make all things right. Jesus went through death and defeated it. His willingness to embrace the cross makes God love for us clear.

His power shown in the resurrection makes certain that God has the ability to carry each of us through our own deaths into new life.

I enjoy many of the holidays we celebrate throughout the year. Each of them is fun and meaningful in its own way. Some of them even seem to be a “bigger deal” than Easter.

However, none of them define me the way Easter defines me. None of them impact my way of viewing each day with hope and trust the way Easter shapes me. Paul understood well how the love of God shown on the cross and the power of God shown through the resurrection make clear that God will always be working to redeem the pain and brokenness of this life.

He declared: 35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36 (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) 37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow — not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below — indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8

Easter means we are safe in God’s love. Happy Easter to you all, and may this day truly shape you for the rest of the year, the rest of your life and into eternity!

ANDREW BOOK is the pastor of Courtland United Methodist Church. He can be contacted at 653-2240 or andrew@courtlandumcva.org.