We are right bang in the middle of Easter weekend. The day after the death of Jesus and the day before He rose again. The day between what seemed like defeat and what was victory. The Easter story is one I hold close and one I think about often but sometimes it’s familiarity robs me of its realness. This Easter perhaps more than ever before there is one aspect of the story that is striking me more fully than before.

Easter talks of the most selfless act in history

The reason that strikes me more than ever before is that we are living in days where selflessness seems to be being edged out of our culture. Let me specify, I mean church culture. I think it’s wider than that too, but I’m not going to sit here and point the finger at a wider culture, which I am a part of too, when the church is as susceptible to the lure of self than anyone.

The last year has been horrible for so many. That’s not ground shattering news but it’s worth noting along with the rest of what I want to say. It’s also worth saying that I love how the church has been trying to serve communities, opening foodbanks, offering debt counselling etc.

I am talking about what is happening in our hearts.

My fear is that the ‘hardness’ of this year has made us as the church, the people, more inward looking than ever. I see and hear too often us talking about what we need, what we don’t need and how we want to live out our preferences. We most often rank the latest COVID restrictions and guidelines through how it affects us without taking the time to see the wider picture.

I remember being on a call where I heard someone complaining about why churches were closing down but off licenses could remain open (I didn’t agree with the argument). The response from the official chairing the call shocked me though. He explained how in the first lockdown where off licenses had been closed the rate of domestic violence increased because partners were shut up at home without alcohol which was making them more violent. Leading women’s charities had pleaded that in the next lockdown to keep off licenses so women in homes with violent partners wouldn’t suffer again.

Argument over – we’d seen a wider picture we hadn’t seen before.

There has been many times where we didn’t even know what the wider picture was which makes this tough – but I’ve tried to always believe that there is a bigger picture that I can’t see yet. Instead of processing how anything affects me I am trying to quickly shift that to the wider picture.

The same goes with things I’ve been involved in through church. I’ve been busier than I remember and more tired than I remember. There have been so many times I haven’t wanted to lead another group or reach out and talk to someone who was struggling. It would be way easier to say no and curl up at home. I do it not because I want to but because others need me to. I haven’t always got it right by any means but I’m trying to fight self in this season.

That’s why what Jesus did in the Easter story is so powerful

His personal preference was not to die on the cross. The Garden of Gethsemane shows us that. Even though He knew it was coming He asked the Father if there was any chance there could be another way provided. We don’t know if the Father answered Him directly but when Jesus says “Your will not mine” his posture becomes clear. Jesus put His personal preference aside and took up His cross for us.

This Easter lets mirror the Jesus that died for us, and die to ourselves. Let’s not think me first, but God first, our neighbour second and then we can think about us. The upside down economy of the kingdom shows us that doing in this order will end up benefiting us more in the end anyway.

#thankyoujesus