If I told you that during the season of Easter you have permission to read someone else’s mail, you might think I’m nuts. That’s just not something we do! Mail that’s addressed to a certain person is for their eyes only, right?
Well, 99.9% of the time, I’d agree with you. However, during the season of Easter, we have the opportunity to read mail that was first addressed to early believers after Christ’s death and resurrection.
Throughout the coming weeks, we’ll be hearing from the book of Acts and the letter of 1 Peter. The book of Acts tells the story of the early church as the disciples and early believers heard the news of Christ’s resurrection and began witnessing to others. And, the letter of 1 Peter explores what it means to live as God’s people in light of what Christ has done for us. This letter was originally intended for a group of churches a few decades after Christ’s resurrection. But now, as we read from this letter in worship, we have the opportunity to “read that church’s mail” as we continue our journey of seeking.
So this Easter, as we return to hearing four readings in worship – Acts, Psalms, 1 Peter, and a Gospel reading – know that we are retaining each of these readings intentionally. Though we restricted the readings we heard during the season of Lent in order to focus on a specific theme, our hope in the season of Easter is to immerse ourselves in stories of the early believers who were also on a journey of seeking. If we were to hear from Acts one week in worship, and then 1 Peter the next, the story we’d hear would be inconsistent – almost like reading the first part of one letter you receive in the mail, but then picking up the next piece of mail and continuing on reading without an awareness that you’ve gone onto a totally different narrative.
So as you gather for worship this season, pay attention to what you’re hearing. Place yourself in the stories, and consider how the story of those early believers matches your own as you strive to live as a follower of Jesus. And then, go and live out these stories that we hear as we become Christ’s living stones, witnessing to all that God has done.