It's a long time before Christmas rolls around again.
What are we Christians supposed to do? We celebrated Christ's birth, three months later we celebrated His death and resurrection. That's it, right? That's the whole story. I mean, some denominations recognize this or that special day in our faith, but those are the big two. Christmas and Easter (or Resurrection Day, if you prefer). It's nine months before the cycle rolls around again.
What are we supposed to do until then?
As the picture above seems to indicate, does Christ fade away into the background, disappearing in the wilderness until the calendar rolls to December? Did He give us the booster shot we needed for another year? Is His hand raised in blessing, bidding us farewell 'til we think of Him again just in time to pay off last year's Black Friday credit card binge?
I hope not. Oh dear Lord and Savior, I pray let that not be the case. All too often, though, it is.
Are we Christmas and Easter Christians?
You know, the people who make time to go to church on those two occasions, enjoy the awesome messages of Christ's birth and our salvation, and spend every other Sunday in reverent worship of NFL, MLB, NASCAR, HBO, or simply themselves.
I'm not saying going to church makes anybody a Christian, or even a better Christian than someone who doesn't, but lets face facts: We give of ourselves to what we believe in. Our money. Our attention. Our time.
How much time did you spend shopping and decorating for last Christmas compared to time spent praying, reading the Bible, serving, or even thinking about God the rest of the year? How much time this past weekend was spent coloring Easter eggs, preparing food, and keeping up with March Madness? And how much of your precious time have you given God since Christmas?
Oh, and let's face some more reality--Summer isn't any better. What with kids home from school, ball games, vacations, yard work, projects, hobbies, recreation . . . It's a good thing Christmas really isn't in July! I don't think we'd have time for it.
Christ doesn't want us two days, two weeks, or even two months out of the year. Christ wants us every day, every hour, every second. Each breath we breathe in comes from Him. How many do we use for Him?
Christ didn't quit after His resurrection.
Believe it or not, even though He said, "It is finished" when He was on the cross, He wasn't done with us. He came back to the disciples, met with them for another forty days before ascending to heaven to wait for the time of Judgment. What did He do those forty days? He told us what we should be doing.
Maybe the most obvious of these lessons is at the end of the Book of Matthew, what we call the Great Commission. Go make disciples. Not in nine months. Not in a year. Now.
At the end of his recording of the Gospel, Luke tells us that Jesus instructed the disciples to stay in the city (Jerusalem) until He delivered them the gift His Father had promised and clothed them with power. What gift? What power? The Holy Spirit! Why? So they could go make disciples! When? As soon as they got it.
For me, the post-resurrection message of Jesus that most speaks of His desire for us to continue what He started is found at the end of the Book of John. It is a conversation between Jesus and Simon-Peter. Jesus asks Peter, "Do you love me?" Of course Peter answers that he does. Jesus then says, "Feed my lambs." But to be sure Peter got the message, Jesus asked again, "Do you truly love me?" Peter reaffirms his love for Christ, who answers, "Take care of my sheep."
That would seem to be enough, but it wasn't. A third time Jesus asks if Peter loves Him, and a third time tells him to keep working by caring for the sheep (people). Then Jesus tells Him, "Follow Me!"
That speaks to me because Jesus didn't quit teaching and working after the resurrection, and He made sure His disciples knew their work wasn't done either. It had just begun.
Now what?
That's the question I asked in the title of this blog. What do we do now that Easter is over?
We do what Christ did after the resurrection, and what He told His disciples to do. We continue His work. We take care of His sheep. We make more disciples. Endlessly. Tirelessly. Selflessly.
Every. Single. Day.
Through Him and for Him.
That's what.
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