Worshiping on Easter Sunday morning at my childhood church in Chicago was a thrill for the senses. Moody Church was crowded with enthusiastic attendees, nearly 4000-strong, which encouraged us all to sing with extra enthusiasm. Our gusto might also have had something to do with the full choir and orchestra “backing us up.”
As we started my childhood favorite, “Christ the Lord is Risen Today,” I could almost taste the jelly beans. (Back in the 1950’s when we wore white gloves to church on Easter, Mom always said “no” to eating chocolate eggs in church, but jelly beans? They were ok.)
The messages in the old hymn were exhilarating on this Resurrection Sunday:
- Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
- Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia!
- Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
- Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!
Plunging into the second verse suddenly got me into some tearful trouble, specifically the last line:
- Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
- Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
- Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia!
- Christ has opened paradise, Allelulia!
A picture of Nate filled my mind as I visualized Jesus opening the door of paradise for him to walk in. While I sang that line, it was like a bubble of delight rose to the surface and burst forth in tears.
But isn’t that what Easter is? It’s our annual celebration of Christ’s bursting forth from his tomb when death couldn’t keep him there. As I batted back the tears, I thought of how dark and desolate Nate’s death would have been, had it not been for paradise awaiting him. As Pastor Lutzer said this morning, “At the moment of our earthly death, the devil shouts, ‘Gottcha!’ but right then Jesus is waiting to reject that, as he gives life eternal to the one who has just died.”
Nate lingered between earth and heaven for many hours before his death in the fall of 2009, and I like to think that on that last day God’s Spirit was speaking to him. Scripture tells us the Lord can communicate with us even as we sleep, and I believe a coma-like sleep is no exception. Maybe the Spirit said the same thing Jesus said to the repentant thief on the cross: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
I’m confident one day he’ll say the same thing to me and every other Christian as he or she dies. When that happens, giant bubbles of delight will burst forth big-time, and we’ll all be crying for joy.
And none of it would happen if it weren’t for his miraculous resurrection.
“Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7)
I enjoyed this very much. Our family had someone special enter heaven today.
I can testify to the fact that when 4,000 people sing in The Moody Church Sanctuary, you feel like it’s the Heavenly Choir.
No two people look alike, all have different backgrounds, and that is what makes it so great! It will always be my ‘home’ church. Take a look at the Sanctuary, everyone, and imagine what it’s like when the Holy Spirit is at work. Services are online http://www.moodychurch.org Thanks, Margaret.
Happy Easter, Margaret. So cool to see a picture of Moody Church filled to capacity. I have many wonderful childhood memories there as well:) Thanks for posting the pic!
Yesterday at our church we had a wonderful couple, Michael & Gina Spehn, share their journey of how they each lost their spouse to cancer and how God then brought them together to blend their two families. Mike talked about having alone time with his wife before the funeral but when he looked in the casket she wasn’t there. As he read the passage from their book, The Color of Rain, where he realized that his wife was now in heaven – tears were filling up in eyes across the auditorium. They tied the deaths of their mates to what God did when he raised Jesus from the grave and the hope that they share to see their loved one again because Jesus lives. Very touching story on Easter. They were just on the Huckabee Show this past weekend sharing their story – so God has taken their story to a national level just recently as well.
Thinking of you today – thanks for touching my heart this morning.
Hugs from across the state,
Judy
I love this post! I have memories of that hymn on Easter too, but couldn’t remember the words yesterday. And only Grandma J would let her kids eat jelly beans in church. Ha ha! =)
Just finished listening to Running to Win with Erwin Lutzer – then pulled up my emails and read your post. What a wonderful church to have grown up in. It was actually through Pastor Lutzer’s broadcast that I was introduced to your site some time ago. I have been blessed so many times by both.
Thanks for sharing – thanks for caring.
Our first celebration yesterday was at sunrise service on the hill our church is on – as the sun rose, we rejoiced in the fact that the Son rose and is alive. ‘Jesus lives and so shall I’
Thank you for the picture and reminder of our very blessed childhoods at Moody Church.
Lovely post thank you Margaret
Thanks for the reminder of Easter at Moody Church, and the picture! I had a lovely Easter — service, dinner and all — but what a special treat it would be to be at Moody Church on Easter. I can just imagine the sound of that great congregation with orchestra and choir and organ besides. And that’s my favorite Easter hymn, too.
Our family was worshipping at our church and all of a sudden it dawned on us. This was the first Easter that my mom would be celebrating in heaven with Christ! So exciting to think about!
Margaret, after being gone 7 weeks, God gave us the gift of a lifetime of being with my father on Easter, when He took him Home! We are still in awe, that he stepped from this life into glory on this day of days. And that for the first time in 10 years, he is with my sister! Even thru tears, all I can see is Jesus’ kindness and tenderness to our whole family. And as I think about all those reunions and glory, it makes me wonder why we hang on so long here!
My giant bubble of delight rose and burst with exuberant joy a few hours after my dear husband of 43 years died.. That evening, in the extraordinary 360-degree Colorado sunset resplendent with glory, God communicated to me that all heaven was celebrating his homecoming with great festivity! Amazingly, that joy has stayed with me through all the challenges of singleness and assuming the difficult tasks that only my husband knew how to do, through the questions about the future and reshaping of my identity. I simply could not be sad when my husband was filled with incredible joy!
I love this post, Margaret. It’s one of those that spawn memories of moments passed….songs we remember and how we may view the situation now; take ‘Silent Night’…..it may have been silent here on earth….because no one was aware of the miracle taking place….but…I believe heaven was like ‘Fourth of July fireworks time”! Easter song: “He Lives”…was my favorite….”He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today, He walks with me, He talks with me, along life’s narrow way, He lives, He lives, salvation to impart,…you ask me how I know He lives….He lives within my heart”. So He does.