Easter Sunday and the Weatherman

(Side note: I know it is sexist to call the forecaster the weatherman.  But in this case it really is the man I hear repeatedly alerting us.)

Good Friday Morning, this Good Friday.

As is common, the forecast for Easter Sunday calls for a dip in temperatures, and the weatherman on the local channel keeps noting over and over that it will be surprisingly cool at sunrise on Easter.  I am sure he is alerting those devotees who plan to get up early for Easter Sunrise Services.  After all, you might show up in your best Sunday frock with only a little lace to keep you warm.

I keep thinking of all my street friends out there who will be spending the Long Night of the Soul in that cold.  Who cares about them?

You know… When Mary (and the other Mary, and the other women) came to the empty tomb that first Sunday of New Creation, they were surprised to find Jesus not there!  It was a surprise!  Oh sure, in at least John’s account, Mary Magdalene finds Jesus in the garden and does not recognize him at first (meaning he is there, and he is found), but still it is a surprise!

But the weatherman here in Lubbock does not want the worshipers of Lubbock to be surprised by the cold Easter morning.

I hope that some homeless people are camping at the worship spot Saturday night.  I hope the worshipers are surprised to find “the least of these” there in the cold at sun up.  I think that would be a nice surprise.

And at the very least, it would be nice to worship with these folx who surely have more invested in that sunrise than a new dress, new shoes, and a matching Bible cover.

Think about it.