Keeping It Alive

The Easter bunny has gone, the colorful Easter eggs eaten, the left-over ham finished, but Easter isn’t over. In fact, it’s never over. As the memory of that special day continues to fill our hearts with joy, let us honor his sacrifice and resurrection by doing what he commanded us to do in John’s gospel, at the institution of the Lord’s supper: “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you are to love one another. If there is this love among you, then all will know that you are my disciples.”

Can we love Jesus enough – can we honor him enough – can we thank him enough – to obey this, his final commandment? He doesn’t ask us to do it perfectly, but he does ask that we try. To try as hard as we can. For if we do not at least try, then his death was in vain and his resurrection is meaningless. So as our hearts continue to be lifted up with the joy of the Resurrection, let us look deeply into the faces of our brothers and sisters to find in them the face of the Christ who loves us beyond our comprehension – and then to pay forward his boundless love for all of us.

Let us pray: Dear Lord Jesus, we give you humble and heartfelt thanks for all the blessings of our lives, and especially for the gift of our redemption through your sacrifice and your victory. Help us to show forth in our lives what we profess with our lips, that we may honor you by manifesting your love in all we do and with all we meet. Amen