The Hangover
The Easter hangover is real.
The Easter hangover is real. Now, I only had one adult beverage on Sunday after a long marathon morning of leading worship. I am talking about the feeling many pastors, worship leaders, youth ministers, and church leaders feel the week after Easter.
The joy of Easter drops into self-doubt: What if my sermon wasn’t good enough? What if they are just waiting to let me know how awful it was?
The energy of Sunday drops into weariness: How can I recover from this energy overload leading up to Easter? I’m exhausted, and next Sunday is coming quickly.
The happiness of increased attendance on Easter often leaves us when we see fewer people in our buildings next Sunday: Where have all the people gone?
Stop it. May the Evil One who prowls around looking to kill, steal, and destroy be vanquished from each and every pastor, leader, and volunteer in God’s Holy Church right now.
Dear Child of God: Pause. Be Still. Receive.
Be with the Father of all creation for a few minutes.
Picture God coming to you with open arms to receive you into himself for a giant bear hug.
God’s presence consumes your doubts, and God plucks them one by one from your head and heart, dropping them into a deep abyss of ashes.
He whispers, Well done, good and faithful servant!
He recounts the things you didn’t see at Easter.
A heart revived with hope.
A mourning spouse comforted with the reality that Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
A fearful soul given hope, seeing how Jesus pursued Mary Magdalene in her fear and tears.
The Father motions to His Son, Jesus Christ, in whom all things hold together. As Jesus approaches you, He points to a gloriously shining and radiant book. He reads tenderly and compassionately to you:
So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10–11)
The love of God just starts flowing out of Himself into your weary soul. You sense a presence from within the triune goodness that comforts your soul. His presence calms your weary bones. You simply rest in what God says about you. The Spirit then penetrates your heart, causing it to beat smoothly into the rhythm of reminders that God’s Word does not fail.
Your Easter hangover of feeling others’ pain, physical depletion, and self-doubt is met with God’s good, unconditional love for you today.
Pause and read that again. Let those words sink in. God loves you.
Lift praise to God for all He did this Holy Week and Easter weekend!
And now, may we leave this heavenly scene and go on with our week, being grateful for what God did on Easter. He continues to work in the hearts and minds of all who attended to hear about Jesus being raised from the dead.
God’s got this.
What happened on Easter will continue to point people into the resurrection life to come, and the sure and certain hope God offers to this world.
May the Easter hangover be no more.
