The Monday after Easter usually dawns the same for me each year. It’s a day of quiet peace and reflection over the past few days’ events, and contemplating their meaning. It’s also a day in which I try and relax a bit, and while I usually take that day off, I found myself sneaking into my office at the church this Monday to get a little work done. The halls, which this past Sunday were filled with laughing, smiling people, are now silent and still. The Sunday School rooms are empty, and the fellowship hall, which hosted our fellowship breakfast, is cleaned and calm. Such a reversed sight from yesterday.
As I made my way to the office, I found myself drawn into the sanctuary. The sun was pouring through the vibrant colors of the stained glass, casting a radiant glow on the dark wooden pews below. This Holy Space, which hosted hundreds of parishioners yesterday, is now also still and silent. The peace of Easter Monday is almost as loud as the worshipful chaos of Easter Sunday.
For some, this observation might appear depressing or forlorn. I’m sure that many pastors wish that their churches looked like Easter Sunday every Sunday. But perhaps we are forgetting the most important aspect of these empty pews on Monday morning. For just as the tomb of Jesus is empty, that he may go about the universe providing redemption and grace, so now is the church empty. The church is empty because its people are now out and about among the community. They are back at their jobs, their schools, their families, and their places of influence. What resides within them is the message of Jesus Christ, which can now be shared with all those with whom they come into contact! What a joyous observation! The seats are empty because the people are out sharing the Good News!
The first thing that Jesus commanded his followers to do was, “Go and tell.” In the Gospels, when he first encounters the women disciples, he states, “Do not be afraid, now go and tell the other disciples what you have seen.” We today still embody those commands and continue to live out the historical call of evangelism. We leave on Easter Sunday and begin our testimony with the world on Easter Monday! The service may have concluded, but the ministry goes on like an unstoppable tidal wave of grace and good news!
And so, the empty sanctuary brings me joy this Monday morning, because I think of all the people who are now out living their faith. The church is still alive and well, lives are still being changed, people are still being ministered to, and the tomb is still empty!
Now, go and tell!
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Pastor Mike McVey
Minister – First United Methodist Church, Fairfield, TX
ACS Chaplain – United States Coast Guard, Station Galveston, TX
