Empty Easter

It took quite a bit of mental strength to pull out the Easter decorations this year. I didn’t want to acknowledge that Easter was coming. Despite the date on the calendar, it wouldn’t be Easter, not without gathering in church. What was the point of the rest of the charades? Church was talking about celebrating Easter once we were allowed to gather again; I pondered if it would be best to put off our festivities at home as well.

It all felt empty. Maybe you are feeling it too. How can we celebrate Easter when all of the churches will be empty? It is contrary to everything a Christian believes. We want full churches with the fellowship of believers. We want our ears filled with the cries of “He is risen! He is risen, indeed!” We want to fill our hearts with the communion of saints and our souls with the breaking of the bread.

What can possibly be done with this emptiness?! Our pastor asked for thoughts on how we should celebrate Easter this year with an empty church and my mind drew a blank. Empty.

I’m a traditional kind of girl. I like certain songs for certain seasons sung a certain kind of way. And I like certain seasonal foods and certain routines of observances. I found myself struggling with how one can possibly celebrate Easter without all of that. My kids had begun voicing their expectations for the coming celebration and my heart couldn’t respond to the demand.

During my morning prayer walk, I cried out to God and asked Him how we were supposed to fill the emptiness this year and softly, slowly I heard the response.

Empty is where I work best. I fill empty. Empty is why we celebrate Easter.  

Maybe empty churches this year will fill us with the understanding that we ARE the church and we will fill our homes with the rejoicing we sometimes reserve for the building.

Maybe the emptiness we feel from unfulfilled traditions will turn our hearts to experiencing the lasting joy of an Easter that remains outside of any tradition, for He IS risen; He is risen, indeed!

Maybe the emptiness of our schedules will allow us to fill our time with drawing near to God through reading His Word and being devoted to prayer.

Maybe the longing for fellowship and the freedom to worship collectively again, with fill us with the reminder that throughout the world there are believers that can never meet and rejoice openly without risking their lives.

Maybe the empty store shelves that are preventing some of our traditional Easter spread, will fill us with the desire to be satisfied with less and be grateful for simplicity.

Maybe empty is exactly what we needed but the last thing we would have asked for, just like that very first Easter. Maybe God is emptying the tombs of our hearts so they can be filled entirely by Him.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Rom. 15:13