Pastor Rick Warren: Easter will be simplified but it will not be stopped
Saddleback Church founder Pastor Rick Warren on keeping religious services and celebrations throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
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Tragedy and crisis are magnifiers – circumstances that force our hand and shine a bright light on underlying situations we might have otherwise ignored or dismissed.
The coronavirus global pandemic has not only claimed more than100,000 lives across the world. It has shaken all of us in ways big and small. In the midst of the crisis, I sense a greater hunger for substance, both in our personal lives as well as in our professional pursuits.
In my few outings beyond the walls of home, I notice people are inquiring about one another's health. Friends are checking in more frequently on the phone or email. And there’s a renewed openness to spiritual conversations with people who might otherwise never consider darkening the door of a church.
Could this be the silver lining of a very dark COVID-19 cloud?
The irony of all of this happening now, in the midst of Passover and Easter, should not be lost on anyone.
Just five days before Jesus was crucified, He entered the city of Jerusalem to great acclaim. As He rode in on a donkey, spectators laid their coats on the ground. People cheered, “Hosanna!” – “God save us!”
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In reality, despite their cheers, those spectators didn’t really understand who Jesus was – and what He was coming to do. Many saw him as a respected teacher, and others as someone who worked miracles. But they didn’t grasp Him as someone who was the son of God, sent to save the world from their sins.
Instead, one of the few people who understood who He really was couldn’t actually visually see him at all.
As Jesus progressed towards the city, a blind man called out to Him saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
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By identifying him as the “Son of David,” the visually impaired man was acknowledging both Jesus’ ancestral lineage as a descendent of King David – but also His future destiny as the long-awaited Savior, as prophesied in the ancient scriptures. That’s because back then, “Son of David” was a messianic title.
That it took a blind man to “see” who Jesus really was is a reminder that God often speaks to us, but we miss His voice because we’re looking in the wrong place – or maybe not listening at all.
I am convinced that God is speaking to the world this Easter in the midst of the coronavirus crisis. I don’t believe He caused the pandemic – but He’s allowed it – and He’s using it to accomplish His purposes.
Through all the strife and strain, God is inviting us to take inventory of what’s really important. In His graciousness, He’s providing us with an opportunity to become reacquainted with our families. The rollback of our freedoms is fostering a newfound appreciation of the luxuries of normal, everyday living.
Like the blind man, we must call on His name – and listen for His voice. Faith doesn’t require sight – but it does demand trust and obedience.
Easter is a reminder that God makes all things new, even a wretched sinner like myself.
Am I listening and looking? We live in such a loud world where it’s the noise that makes the news and grabs our attention.
It was the 17th-century mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal who once aptly remarked, “All men’s miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.”
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold, even as we see glimmers of hope here at Easter, we’d be wise to ponder and pray about what God is trying to teach us through this crisis.
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In my life, I’ve learned that I’ve grown more in struggle than success. I suspect you’ve discovered the same in yours.
Easter’s celebration of the triumph of life over death reminds us that from pain and sacrifice comes everlasting joy and peace.