"Every morning is Easter morning from now on!"

      On Easter Sunday, we sang a piece of music at the 8:30 and 11:00 services that some of you may not know very well. The song, "Every Morning Is Easter Morning," has become a tradition in this congregation. It began when the church was redeveloping in the late 1970s; the growing congregation was trying some new things in worship including new songs like this one, under the leadership of Pastor Jerry Wicklein. The song seemed to represent the spirit of renewal and excitement in the congregation, and it was something new and different.

      Over the years we have occasionally omitted it from Easter Sunday worship services and then have heard how much it means to folks who have been part of this church over the last 20-30 years. So it is now part of what we do on Easter Sunday. The tune is definitely one that sounds '70s-ish, but the sentiment expressed in the words is eternally true.

      Every morning is Easter morning for those of us who believe, who have become Easter people, who have heard and believe the good news of the resurrection. The world may try its best to overwhelm us, things around us may seem difficult and depressing at times but God is in charge and that is the message we celebrate. Resurrection happens again and again.

      If we are going to live out this conviction in our daily lives though, there are two things we need to do. First, we have to go outside our usual environment. We have to leave the comfort of our usual habitat to experience something new, we have to leave the comfort of where we usually hang out: emotionally, intellectually, spiritually. The disciples had to leave their places of safety and hiding, they had to go to the tomb in order to find it was truly empty. Some of them were able to take that risk, others stayed safely where they had been.

      I urge those of you who joined us for Easter worship services to come back again--regularly--so that you can live out the resurrection possibilities. Move outside your usual routines and patterns, make a greater commitment to worship.

      If you are already a regular worshipper, take the next step: join a small group for study, prayer, sharing, get into a class that can make a difference in your life. In this way you can live as Easter people rather than living out of the doubt and sarcasm side that is so easy to experience in daily life.

      The second thing we need to do is we need to remember where to look. Jesus shows us where to look. God may seem hidden to us, God may seem just someone else's idea. But when we turn to Jesus Christ, he shows us God. He allows us to experience the presence of God and that's a resurrection. I grew up in the church but it was when I turned to Jesus Christ through some small group and retreat experiences and the powerful ministry of music that Jesus showed me God. This is what makes it possible to live out the truth of the resurrection on a daily basis.

      "Every morning is Easter morning from now on!" So may it be for us.