FollowBy Dan Amos
Does anyone remember Carmen? In the late ’80s and early ’90s I collected a bunch of his CDs. He could really tell a story well in his songs. One of my favorites was about the fight between Jesus and Satan at the cross.
Satan celebrates a knockout on Jesus — His death on the cross. But the ten-count is done in reverse and Satan starts to panic. The crowd goes wild when the referee, God the Father, declares Jesus alive and the champion. The cross is where my sin was paid for, but Sunday morning was the victory.
This Sunday we celebrate. We clap, we raise our hands and we sing, but rarely do you see a fist pump and a throat scratching “YES!” bellowed out. If we had been Peter going into the tomb and finding nothing there and understanding why, then would have been a great time for a touchdown-style yell.
I don’t know what the celebration planned for our two services (at 9 and 11 a.m.) will look like. I’ve asked, but the planning appears to be closely held. I know for myself that outbursts of exultation come most naturally when they are spontaneous, such as at a live sporting event.
I’m looking forward to Sunday. It’s Easter and the Good News will be heard by some for the first time, or for the only time until next year. My hope is that the celebration we have will be infectious and something others want to experience week after week, day after day. And when that new believer comes up out of the water on a later day, there will be a spontaneous celebration of new life in Jesus.
He is risen!
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