Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Happy Easter! Before you tell me I’m a couple weeks late and that Easter was almost two weeks ago on April 16, I want to remind you that on the Christian calendar Easter is a season that lasts fifty days. But even that is a bit misleading. Every Sunday is considered a “little Easter.” I will go even farther to suggest that the resurrection of Jesus is only the beginning, that every day we can see the resurrection power of Jesus in the people and situations around us.
That does not mean we won’t face hardships in our lives. The future is uncertain. People still suffer from unemployment, broken relationships, sickness, death and much more. Christ’s resurrection does not eliminate those things. According to David Lose, “It makes it possible to experience joy in the midst of them as God continues to create something new.” Easter is never over. Easter reflects the reality of the ongoing work of God in Christ to bring new life to a broken world. David Lose adds that God “is still leading us forward into new life and possibility and forgiveness and love. Easter is not over it is ongoing.”
My prayer is that you will receive the ongoing blessing of resurrection today and every day. The risen Christ is with us! Thanks be to God!
Pastor Anne