Easter Season
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her. – John 20:18
Happy Easter! He is risen!
One of the things I love about this congregation is its name. Not only are we the only church named Easter as far as I can tell, but we’re named after the biggest, holiest celebration of the entire Christian faith. That’s right: Easter is the top holiday of the entire church. After all, it’s the day that celebrates the gift of life and hope in Jesus Christ that makes Christians who they truly are.
The season of Easter lasts 50 days after Easter Sunday. It takes 50 days for the church to fully celebrate all the joy and hope that comes to us at Easter. We need 50 days to practice trusting in God’s gift of life that comes to us in this time so that we can go out in the world for the rest of the year preaching, living, and loving like death doesn’t have the final word – because it doesn’t. Easter, let’s celebrate Easter!
It might seem mundane, especially after the exuberance of Easter Sunday, but part of what it means to be a community that preaches the good news of Jesus Christ is to do the basic, daily work of sustaining this congregation’s ministry. This takes many forms. It means coming to worship, either in person or online. It means being a part of volunteer work, whether for the church’s ministries or with our partners. It means engaging your faith in learning and devotion. And sometimes, believe it or not, it means going to meetings.
The annual meeting of this congregation comes next week, Monday April 25, at 7 pm on Zoom. You can go to easter.org/annualmeeting to learn more. And I suspect you’re thinking: what on earth does a meeting have to do with celebrating our risen Lord? I once heard someone refer to a budget as a missional document, and its stuck with me. The choices we make for how we use our money and resources as a congregation reflect the mission God has given us. With that in mind, I hope you’ll read the annual report, pray, consider, and join us in our meeting as we continue the work of the church.
In these 50 days of Easter, we keep announcing the many ways we see our Savior at work among us. We keep rejoicing in his gift of new life. And we keep working, serving, loving, and praising along the way, trusting that the Spirit’s guidance makes this congregation into a community of faith to God’s glory, now and always.
Let us pray:
God, we rejoice in the resurrection of your Son, our Savior. He is risen and your power has defeated death. Make us bold to live out this promise in our life as a congregation. Give us guidance, fill us with compassion, and grant us the words we need to keep preaching your gospel of love and life. Amen.