Chocolate and caramel. Coffee and reading the morning newspaper. Movies and popcorn. Cubs baseball and hope for next season. These are things that all go well together — two things I believe complement each other well.

This weekend is the culmination of Holy Week — the great three days in the Christian faith! If you have read in the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, there is a whole range of emotions and events. Love preached by Jesus at the last supper. Peace as Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane. Disappointment as Jesus is betrayed by a friend. Pain as Jesus is flogged, then nailed to the cross. Agony as Jesus hangs on the cross. The grief of death, as Jesus’ lifeless body is laid in the tomb. If the story stops here, there is no amazement — just fear. Yet, God calls creation to be amazed through the fear — death is not final, God’s gift of new life is stronger than even death itself.

As the women first arrived at the empty tomb, they experienced both fear and amazement (Matthew 28:8, Mark 16:8, Luke 24:5, 37). God’s message for the world is an Easter message; God doing God things so that creation can experience God’s love. In grief, came joy. In death, came life. In God, comes love. This is the essence of the Easter celebration; God does what only God can do — breathe new life out of death. Fear and amazement can both be debilitating; it can be easy to get lost in the moment, with no word or action adequately revealing the depth of the moment. The disciples guide us back to the call of all followers of Jesus; experience the new life of Jesus Christ’s resurrection and then go tell others the good news.

The religious holiday of Easter is rooted in tradition. Pews tend to fill up, Easter lilies adorn sanctuaries, and “Alleluias” ring out. Families gather, food is enjoyed, and naps are often taken. I wonder how much we embrace the fear and amazement of God’s work in the world through God’s Holy Spirit. Yes, the resurrection of Christ, but also the bold move God makes to come to this kingdom in flesh and bone through a vulnerable baby. The radical teaching and preaching of God’s Son to love your enemies, welcome those pushed to the margins, travel lightly, and be willing to suffer for the sake of the neighbor. God’s call for God’s children to “love thy neighbor as thyself” can be fear inducing, but the cornerstone moment of God’s promise to creation is the amazing act of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Whether you are fearful, amazed, or both, God continues to reach out in love for you!

Worship and Easter morning. God’s Holy Word and Holy Communion. Coffee and doughnuts after worship. Fear and amazement. Both have the possibility to complement one another in the midst of our human experiences — pain and healing, despair and hope, death and life — this Easter holiday and always.

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Paul Waterman is the pastor at

Elim Lutheran Church in Marshalltown.