When Does It Happen to You?
By “it,” I mean the unexpected moment when the Spirit of the living Christ breaks through all of the well-rehearsed Easter prescriptions, all of the day’s family plans, all of the preparation, all of the expected components and messages that we already know. When does it happen that you feel yourself moved in a way you didn’t see coming? When, in the course of this Holy Week, does Jesus’ death and resurrection move beyond the well-known story we observe and move within you? The answer, of course, is different for each person.
For all of the Easters I have been part of (and I have missed only one since collecting eggs in a basket at age 5 in a little suit with a clip-on tie), I have been moved in various ways over the years by the pageantry, the sense of togetherness with so many of the same belief, and occasionally by the sermon (I hope this is true for some this year!). But in first place by a long shot for me—when I most feel the risen Christ within me and in our midst—it is through the music. “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” “Easter People, Raise Your Voices,” and “Crown Him with Many Crowns” all make me beam as we stand and sing with one voice. But for me, the climax comes when anyone who wants is invited to take the sheet music and join the Chancel Choir at the end of the 11:00 Traditional Service to sing the “Hallelujah Chorus.” It has become a tradition in our home that my visiting middle sister and I rise upon invitation and join the chorus—her in the soprano section and me in the bass—catching each other’s eyes as we smile, sing, and maybe tear up. That’s when it happens to me. The Spirit of the risen Christ infuses George Frideric Handel’s music with resurrection power. I can feel it and truly know that “He is risen; he is risen indeed!” Not in a vague way, not in a spectator way, but in a deeply personal, transformative way that I know has the power to change the world.
From this annual experience arises within me a renewed and abiding hope that what has happened to me can happen to others—can happen to a world that has lost its way in its madness. This is the possibility that awaits you tonight’s Maundy Thursday service, tomorrow’s Good Friday service, and on Easter morning, just as it did for Jesus and his followers. Pray that “it” happens to you, perhaps when you least expect it—and then tell me about it (mgaston@fumcplano.org). I would love to hear and rejoice with you: Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,
Matt Gaston
Lead Pastor
