Why events around the first Easter were total lockdown for the church

This is a unique Easter Sunday. Church buildings across the nation, and indeed the globe, are empty – actually locked up! Instead of the usual pomp associated with the season, this Easter is a rather somber one as people stay indoors in most nations – thanks to the Covid-19 lockdown. For many churches, services are celebrated online or on TV broadcasts.

It is a new terrain for many in the clergy and very confusing for their congregants. Some of us pastors have really struggled with this reality, considering it an affront to the freedom of the Gospel. Interestingly though, this is not the first time the Church has been in a lockdown at Easter. The events around the first Easter paint a grim picture.