Spending Easter at home

Yesterday was the first time we have not spent Easter with family. I'm sure many of you could say the same thing. We facetimed our daughter's family and received pictures from them of the kids looking for Easter eggs in their yard. We talked with our son and heard about his Easter day with his kids. My wife fixed a wonderful Easter dinner for the two of us. It was a good day, but it wasn't the same.

I watched a couple of Easter services. One was our local church which was well done. The other was Franklin Graham speaking from Central Park in New York. Behind him were the tents his ministry had provided to be used for a portable hospital to treat patients with the coronavirus. I thought they made a wonderful backdrop for his message of hope and forgiveness.

So many churches have been quite active in responding to this pandemic. Churches, both large and small, have made sure people had food. Some have been busy getting food for those who cannot get out and placing it on their porches. Many have made concerted efforts to check on those who live alone or might be more susceptible to the disease. I called one pastor to check on him. He didn't answer but called me back in a few minutes. He explained he was on the phone with a lady who lives alone and has health issues. It was her birthday, and he wanted to wish her a happy birthday and make sure she was doing OK. That story can be told thousands of times across the country. Some churches have worked to provide PPE for hospitals and first responders. Prayer drives around hospitals have occurred in different places organized by local churches. Churches quickly moved to obtain the equipment and knowledge to be able to livestream their services to offer hope and encouragement to people. Many churches are engaged in ministries we never hear about.

Some people criticize the church saying it does nothing for people, but this crisis certainly proves otherwise. The church has been active as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. It has been doing exactly what Christ called it to do: to love our neighbor as ourselves and to do unto others what we would want them to do unto us.

Yesterday was not the Easter many of us have known in the past, but it didn't change the reality of the Easter message. Our Savior is alive! It is through Him that we find hope and peace in trying times. It is because He lives that we can experience forgiveness and salvation. It is because of Him that the church is reaching out ministering to people during this crisis providing the spiritual and physical things they need to survive this.