The meaning of Easter in troubled times: Fox Valley pastors speak out

Looking for something a little different for my Easter column, I posed a question to area pastors: What is the relevance of Easter in these trying and uncertain times?

"I think this economic downturn was a reminder to us all that we can't just take a short-term focus in life, (a reminder) not to discount living each day meaningfully through charity and compassion," said Pastor Clifford "Hannibal" Frederich of St. John's Lutheran Church, Elgin. "A longer-term focus gives us balance and the strength to get through shorter-term crises.

"And this is where the Gospel fits in perfectly," Frederich said. "'For God so loved the world that he gave his only son' is our reassurance that, no matter what setbacks might happen in our daily lives, God is there for us."

"There's nothing that speaks more of hope than the resurrection of Christ, because that proves his promise of victory over death," said Pastor Phil Zilinski, Fox Valley Baptist Church, East Dundee. "Troubles come and go, but the most important decision that you can make in this life is what you'll do in the next."

"The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ demonstrate concretely for us that God works through the everyday processes of life to keep His promises," said Pastor Dave Williams of Elgin's Westminster Presbyterian Church. "No matter what happens in our daily life, God still can and does keep His promises to us.

"Through Jesus Christ, all things are working together for good, by His grace," Williams said. "In Christ, we always end up winning."

"What God offers in his son Jesus is a lot more valuable than money," said Pastor Howard Gleason of St. John Lutheran Church, Burlington. "Most of us think about our 401Ks, our IRAs. Our stock market investments are 50 percent of what they were, but God's promise that he made at Easter is an investment that yields eternity. His promise fulfilled in Jesus never diminishes in value."

"Easter is still the heart and soul of Christianity," said Pastor Nathaniel Edmond of Elgin's Second Baptist Church. "The price for our salvation was paid at Calvary. Because the Lord is risen, I can rejoice regardless of my circumstances."

"Christ rising from the dead means a stable, constant fact in the midst of all the changes and problems of life," said Pastor Keith Perry, King of Glory Lutheran Church, Elgin. "It means we always have hope for something better beyond this life - a perfect, eternal life with God."

"There is something wonderful about Easter that reaches back into the innocent memories of our youth and reminds us that great hope is always before us," said Pastor Jonathan Hutchison of First United Methodist Church, Elgin.

"That we are loved and can share our love with others, that we are free and can offer freedom to those oppressed, that we are blessed and can share our blessings with others," Hutchison said. "To me, this is the message and the hope that every Easter promises us."

"In times of unstable financial markets and insecure mortgages and employment; and in times when faith in our institutions and its leaders is waning, Easter is a reminder of the power and the truth and the trust that we have in our risen Savior, Jesus Christ," said Pastor Elliott Anderson of Elgin Evangelical Free Church. "Now is the time to behold and believe!"

Game show gospel: The answer is: "Jeopardy."

The question? "What is Pastor Olin Sletto going to do this weekend to try to top his last two Easter messages?"

Worship at Elgin's Holy Trinity Lutheran Church isn't always fun and games, but it certainly has been for the past couple of years on Easter Sunday.

Two years ago, Sletto adapted TV's "Deal or No Deal," featuring 10 choir members with briefcases, to introduce the Easter message. "What we were dealing for was eternal life," Sletto said. "It was the most fun sermon I've ever done."

Last year, three church members competed in the pastor's version of "The Price is Right," which asked, "What is the price that we pay for the gift of eternal life?" Sletto said. "And of course the answer is 'nothing.'"

Hard to say whether it was the unique program, the church's publicity efforts, or just the holiday itself, but Easter attendance at Holy Trinity runs about 100 to 150 higher than other Sundays.

"What's most fun is that people are coming back now who were here before and thinking, 'I wonder what we're going to do this year,'" Sletto said.

Simplified to four categories (the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) with four questions each, Jeopardy will be played in two rounds, with the final question focusing on the meaning of Easter.

"I don't know, maybe it's a little corny," Sletto said, "but it seems to work. People are paying attention.

"I told the worship committee maybe I wouldn't do it this year," he said good-naturedly, "but I got voted down."

"In the Spirit" covers churches and synagogues in the Fox Valley area; contact cmchojnacki@yahoo.com to submit information or ideas for upcoming columns.