Unexpected

It feels strange to be so far away from friends and family during a holiday. This is the first time I can remember not being home - or at least with my family - to celebrate Easter. Some friends here talked about getting together for dinner on Sunday night. We might even get a ham - I just can't imagine having tacos for Easter!

Last night we grilled out at Steve and Rebecca's house. We heard a slow monotonous beat of a drum getting louder and louder. There was a solemn parade slowly making its way down the streets of Arteaga. Six men carried a statue/representation of the broken body of Jesus high above their heads. Like a funeral procession, people silently watched. Hundreds of people followed behind carrying torches, lanterns and candles reflecting on what happened more than 2,000 years ago. We stood watching too - two cultures celebrating the same God. It was a neat experience.

This is an editorial I wrote one year that was published in The Sentinel on Easter Sunday. Thought I'd share. Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter. Keep thanking God for doing the unexpected.


It wasn't what they were expecting.

The women who went to the tomb that morning 2,000 years ago were expecting to find the bloody, broken body of a crucified man - not an empty tomb.

The stone was rolled away. The body was gone.

An angel appeared to the women and said: "Why are you looking in a tomb for someone who is alive? He isn't here! He has risen from the dead! Don't you remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again the third day?" (Luke 24, New Living Translation)

It was a moment that changed the world. Jesus had conquered death and claimed victory over sin. He was who he said he was. He did what he said he would do.

Today, Christians around the world are gathering to celebrate Easter, the day Jesus rose from the dead. The day that brings hope and a promise of eternal life for all who believe. Christians are celebrating a victory today - but it's not the type of victory Jesus' followers were expecting thousands of years ago.

Then again, Jesus was not the type of Messiah the world was expecting.

The Jewish people were waiting for a powerful political figure who would overthrow the Roman government, which had gained control of their land. The people were overtaxed. They were abused. They were treated unfairly. They were waiting for a savior who would rescue them through military force. They were expecting a warrior.

But Jesus didn't come to fight.

He came to die.

He came to offer himself as a sacrifice to pay for the sins of the world. He came to bridge the gap between his people and God's love. Jesus was not the type of Messiah they were expecting and they did not recognize him as their savior. They thought he was a fraud so they nailed him to a cross.

Instead of saving a generation from political tension - like they were expecting - Jesus saved humanity from eternal condemnation. It wasn't what they were expecting - it was so much more.

Life doesn't always make sense. Things don't always go the way we expect. But today, as Christians celebrate Easter, they can have peace knowing that God is in control, even when the world is out of control. His plan is always perfect.

Christians have hope today because God did the unexpected.

So the challenge for all believers is to follow Jesus' lead and do the unexpected. We live in a "me, me" society. What will you do to put others first? Be different. Show kindness to everyone. Offer love to the unlovable.

It's not what the world expects - but that's what makes all the difference.