Grace and Joy in an Unexpected Easter

On an Easter Sunday, many years ago, my husband and I happened to be out of town and looking for a place to worship. We seemed to miss the service at each church we came across. Eventually, we found a small church in the old section of Salinas, California. It was a service I will never forget and is forever etched on my heart and in my mind.

The congregation was an eclectic assortment of people. Some dressed in their Easter finest, and many appeared to be homeless and off the street. There was a simplicity and tenderness to the service. The man next to me was disheveled and missing most of his teeth. As we sang a familiar hymn, I looked over at him. Tears were running down his cheeks as they were on mine.

At that moment I understood, he was my brother. We were part of the same family of God. We were both God’s children, not because of who we were, what we had, or what we did, but solely of who Christ is, and what He has done for us.

During the same service, another woman suddenly ran down the aisle, praising God loudly. She was a tall, dark woman, dressed in a purple robe with a big turban around her head and a blond ponytail off to the side. As she ran down the aisle, a woman dressed in a beautiful yellow suit jumped up, ran after her, and threw her arms around her. The women in yellow just held her and loved her in the most touching scene. I was overcome with emotion and the sense that this was a holy moment.

Our God is Present in the Simple

As the service ended and the offering plate was passed, the pastor announced this provision would be given to four other churches in the area that were struggling. It brought to mind the passage from scripture of the widow whose small offering was actually more in the eyes of Jesus. “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth, but she gave out of her poverty, she put in everything—all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:3,4)

I left the Salinas service with a profound sense of the presence of God. It was a reminder that as beautiful as Easter pageants, lilies, and choirs are, our God is present in the simple. Our worship is not dependent on the presentation; it is only dependent on the presence of Christ.

This year Easter will be different. Just as my Sunday in Salinas, it will not be what I had planned. I am accustomed to spending the day with my extended family and close friends at our place of worship.

This year my husband and I will worship alone. I may experience loneliness, but then the cross was lonely. In the unexpected, the unplanned, God will meet us. As we open ourselves to the Holy presence of Christ, we will experience grace and joy.

We will surely never forget this Easter. But God is with us and ever-present. How you spend this resurrection Sunday will have changed. Your place of worship will have changed. The facts have not changed.

God loves you; Jesus died for you. He rose for you. He is Victorious!

Rejoice! He has risen!

Personal Parables is the blog of Dyann Shepard. Get Dyann’s complementary study in Proverbs and prayer guide, What to Do When You Don’t Feel Good Enough. If you need encouragement to remember the truth about yourself in times of doubt and anxiety, this free 5-day study is for you. Follow Dyann and Personal Parables on Instagram and Facebook. Dyann is available for speaking, guest blogging, and article writing.

Scripture for Meditation

He is victorious! He is risen! To meditate further on Grace and Joy of an Unexpected Easter, some scripture for you.

I Peter 1:3 – Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

I Corinthians 15:3, 4 – For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

Luke 24:6, 7 – He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’

Matthew 27:32 through 28:20

Hebrews 13:20, 21 – Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.