A Note from your Interim Pastor
Like everything else, Holy Week and Easter are going to be different this year, to say the least. In truth, however, we might be modeling more accurately the way the earliest Easter commemorations took place when Christ-followers met in homes and/or underground catacombs. These small groups of people were often sequestered, not because of illness but due to threats from the authorities.
In other words, Easter is going to happen no matter how we do it.
To illustrate, let me introduce the late Clifford Roberts to you, in case you never heard of him. Along with the noted golfer Bobby Jones, Roberts began the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. For many years he ran August National and did so with an iron fist.
Until it had to be removed a few years ago due to disease, a large tree stood sentinel on the left side of the 17th fairway. One of the members complained regularly about the tree, saying it had a tendency to “claim” his tee shot. Finally, he went to Roberts’ office and made his complaint official. He wanted the tree cut down. As the story goes, Roberts listened to the member’s reasoning until he had heard enough. Finally, he said to the member, “Mr. President, you run the country and I’ll run August National.” Ike Eisenhower never complained about the tree again… not to Roberts, anyway.
But my favorite Cliff Roberts story is this… Since the inception of televised sports, CBS has been the sole broadcast source of the Masters’ Golf Tournament. It has not always been an easy relationship, if for no other reason than Roberts had his rules (pun intended) and CBS found itself in the position of having to toe the Roberts line.
Occasionally, because the tournament is held the second weekend in April, the final round falls on Easter. One year, in their annual planning meeting, CBS executives asked if the Sunday telecast could be moved back an hour to enable those who wanted to attend Easter services to get home before it began. Roberts’ opposed such an idea, and responded indignantly, “Find out who’s in charge of Easter and see if they will change it!”
You run Augusta National, Mr. Roberts, and we’ll let Easter be Easter.
I would encourage you, whatever your circumstance, to let Easter be Easter for you. Nothing in the world – not the Masters’ tournament nor COVID-19 – can keep Easter from happening. Why? Because Christ is risen, He is risen indeed!
