by Keith Bassham
This Tribune has two major features in the front half. This in itself is not unusual, as our readers know. But, as editor, I departed from our usual practice in a couple of ways.
First, there is the report from the MidWinter Fellowship Meeting in Orlando, FL, held February 16-18. The meeting was unique in several ways, and so I asked our national officers to provide the commentary for the meeting from their perspectives. Some facets were recognized by all the officers, while other facets stood out to them as individuals based on their respective levels of responsibility. Not only does this give our leaders an opportunity to speak to the Fellowship, but it also gives readers insight into our leadership’s outlook on the Fellowship’s present state and future prospects.
Second, the Easter feature in this issue is the longest article I have placed since becoming editor — taking up about eight pages total. The author is Pastor Greg Baxter of Faith Journey Church in Lawton, OK. For several years, Greg has been publishing on social media a series of meditations based on the events of Easter Week for his fellow pastors. We have enjoyed his compilations of the Gospel accounts, and I thought they should be shared more widely.
In keeping with our “15 for 2015” motif, I asked Greg to recast the material in a 15-step version. Except for the actual crucifixion portion (which takes a little more than a page), each step can be easily read as part of a devotional program leading up to Easter Sunday. We have kept all the Bible references Greg included (but we placed them in a margin), so the reader can see all the passages he used for the studies. The article represents a large amount of detailed work and study, and mastering even some of its contents will help make the events of the week leading up to the Lord’s resurrection much more meaningful.
____________________
Christmas is more showy than Easter, and it is observed more universally even among nonbelievers, but for those of us with faith in Jesus Christ and His Gospel, Easter is surely the more important Christian observance.
Think about it. We are not sure about the date of Jesus’ birth even now, but for Easter we have a real date to commemorate in space and time. When Jesus was born there was barely any human witness at all, while there were hundreds of eyewitnesses who bore record to the risen Lord. Outside the Gospels, there is little reference to the nativity, while references to the crucifixion and resurrection and their implications fill the pages of the rest of the New Testament.
I like Christmas, I admit, but if the holiday were banned (and it has been from time to time), I don’t know that I would mind much. Skipping Christmas (which is the title of a John Grisham novel describing how a modern couple attempted to skirt Christmas observances) might not be such a bad thing, but I cannot imagine getting along without Easter.