As I type this pastors all over the world are putting the finishing touches on their Easter sermons, or else beginning to panic as they stare at a blank screen or notepad! (By the way, here’s what my sermons look like these days: typically some main points scratched out on a small notepad tucked into my Bible. Gone are the days of full manuscripts or multiple page outlines.)

You’ll often hear that pastors struggle to come up with a fresh sermon each Christmas or Easter. I say, “Hogwash!” If you struggle with this, you may need to find a different profession. These stories ooze with fresh insights, new angles, surprising twists and endless applications. If you’ll let the Spirit into your sermon prep.

This is a very different year for our Easter at MainStreet. (Well, I guess the past 2 have been different due to Covid.) This year we planned to take our Easter service on the road and hold our worship celebration at a local senior living facility. It’s a new place in town that doesn’t have a lot of religious programming as of yet. One of our beloved church members lives there and we wanted to bring songs and a sermon to her and any residents who will join us. I can’t wait to see who the Spirit draws to our service, and proclaim the good news of Resurrection to fresh ears.

My focus this year is on the role of the angels in Luke’s account of the empty tomb, as well as pondering how strange and rare it is in this world to celebrate anything “empty.” I will point out the comforting fact that God’s angels often congregate in the “empty places” bringing comfort to people with empty emotional tanks and empty hopes. But their job is to redirect our attention away from what’s empty and toward what’s now being filled and coming alive!

I won’t give away my thunder on a Thursday, but I am excited and encouraged as I think about those two angels in the Easter story. Why? Because I think we are still surrounded by God’s angels, and we ought to spend more time thinking about their roles in our lives as well. Furthermore, I’d like to think that we ourselves get to share in their role to some extent as we move toward the empty places and turn people’s attentions toward the fullness of life offered in Christ by the Spirit.

In fact, I see our small church doing a little of this as we go bring good news and Resurrection hope to the folks at Harrison Bay Senior Living this Easter Sunday.

Note: We were recently notified that we are now only able to bring a small team of 5 people to the senior community for Easter in compliance with state Covid guidelines. The rest of our congregation will be celebrating Easter with a breakfast and video version of my sermon in our living room. A strange, beautiful Easter this year. Maybe I’ll post the video message on here.

Have a blessed Easter!