04-01-25

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
April 1, 2025
In four years, Easter will fall on April Fool’s Day. This will be the first time since 1956, thus the first time in my lifetime. Of course, Easter comes on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. We have some time before it happens on April 1, but it does make me wonder how ministers will preach that Easter Sunday. 

Monday is usually my day off, but I went into the office yesterday, and the staff had prepared some April Fool’s jokes for me. I sort of ruined it by coming early, yet a few office jokes are one thing, but April Fools and Easter is a whole different arena. 

The Apostle Paul spoke of the cross sounding like foolishness to the Gentiles, and I think Paul was on target with that comment. Let’s be real—the incarnation of God being executed in a manner the Romans kept for traders and insurrectionists would have felt a little unexpected. Some might say absurd, laughable, or even foolishness. Before his encounter with the Living Christ on the Road to Damascus, Paul would have agreed. 

In the movie, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, one of the characters, Riley Poole, said, “Last time I checked, we pretty much make our living on crazy.” I think Christians could offer a similar statement such as, “Last time I checked, we pretty much live our faith on foolishness.” When you claim love is more powerful than hate, forgiveness can transform what others deem unredeemable, and even nonviolence can shift the dynamics of an unjust system, it sure fits the definition of foolish. Of course, it is exactly what Jesus did.

If there is a little foolishness I can bring to this day that could shift the trajectory of my world toward your dream, O God of wonderfully crazy dreams, then I pray for such foolishness to be in my life. Amen.