Sunday is Coming

Easter weekend is here. A weekend where we spend time with family, friends, and usually attend an Easter Sunday service and do some type of Easter celebration (Easter egg hunts, exchanging Easter baskets, etc.). While most of you have spent your Good Friday hangin’ with the fam, hangin’ with friends, or maybe just staying in and sleeping in (my favorite), I spent my Good Friday working. Yeah, it sucked. Well, kind of. Although the working part isn’t so fun, the fact that I’m allowed to plug in my earbuds while I work, is (and the making money part). Often while I work, I’ll listen to podcasts. I’ve listened to a variety of podcasts, however my favorite has to be “Churchome with Judah Smith”. I just love how Judah Smith preaches. He brings energy, humor, truth, and the craziest opening stories to his sermons. Today, while push mowing and weed-wacking at work, I listened to one of his sermons titled, “Created for Connection”, where He discussed the importance of a consistent, ongoing connection with Jesus while walking, whether through the easy days, or the difficult days. In his sermon, he brought up the fact that God doesn’t see our sin, He sees His Son. Every time we sin, we almost always have this thought in the back of our minds of, “what will God think/do”. Okay...maybe I’m the only one who thinks that, but whatever. Anyways, a lot of times, I’m focused on not doing something, due to my fear of how God will “take it”, forgetting who He is. I’m focused on my sin of commission, rather than my sin of omission. As I have done this again and again, I’m always feeling shameful. For anyone who feels this way as well, stop feeling this way as well. Shame is a lie! Jesus took our place and became shame on the cross, for the Holy Spirit does not use condemnation, He uses conviction. This was a great reminder to me. It’s beyond cool how the Holy Spirit doesn’t say, “don’t do that” when I sin, instead He says, “that’s not who you are”. If God sees His son when He looks upon us, why would we be focused on trying to not be someone (sinner) instead of trying to be someone (Jesus).

One more thing I learned tonight:

Tonight at the close of our Good Friday service, my pastor talked about the metaphorical view on Easter weekend. The weekend consists of three days; Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Friday, representing pain, loss, and grief. Saturday, representing waiting and confusion, and Sunday, representing victory. Throughout this life, we will experience (and probably already have experienced) all three days. There will be days where we will face great loss and pain. These are what I like to call “Fridays”. Then, we will face the in between days. The days of confusion. Days where we don’t know where to go from the current situation. These days are the Saturdays. And finally, the “a-ha” moments. The days where we see how the Lord used that Friday to begin the Sunday. The verdict is this; no matter what situation you are in right now, always remember that Sunday is coming. There is a reason for everything, and we have seen through the faithfulness of God that there may be a Sunday right around the corner. Sunday is coming, thank God for your Fridays and Saturdays.

-Jack Hilsher

Romans 8:28 (ESV)

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”