Y'all! I can't let go of Easter.
I can't seem to move beyond the Son of God coming to Earth to journey with us, die because of us, and resurrect to new life for us. Every year, the Easter season is meaningful. But Lent and Easter weekend carried significant weight for me this year.
Then, I heard about Eastertide. It's a "thing" on the Christian calendar! It marks the period of time from Easter until Pentecost when we remember the resurrected Christ who journeyed with Believers for another season until He ascended to Heaven. It's a season that ends with Pentecost Sunday, the day our earthly lives were forever changed when the third member of the Trinity came to live in us forever.
This is where I feel my Southern Baptist roots have failed me. (Goodness, I'm kidding. Well, I'm kind of kidding, because I really do love my heritage. Also, the Christian calendar seems like an important thing to take note of. So, there's that!)
For the past few years, I've taken part in a Lent study. I've given up something near and dear to me (why oh why is it always Coke Zero? And, why oh why is it always so hard?) I absolutely love experiencing the "giving up" of Lent because it makes the celebration of Easter so much bigger. Lent reminds me of sacrifice. Jesus sacrificed His life. All throughout the season of Lent, I get to say, “Jesus, I want You more than I want a Coke Zero.” I say it a lot, and it serves as an excellent reminder.
There's nothing I really sacrifice here on Earth. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. Because of Him, all that I "give up" is for the experience of something bigger, greater, better. On Easter, we celebrate it all! For one, little day. Then, we move on.
But I don't want to! I want to sit and savor. I want to consider how my life is different because Jesus came out of that grave. I want to follow this Christian calendar in a season of celebration that is a bit longer than the previous season of sacrifice. I want to experience Eastertide where we can journey on with Jesus, this time a resurrected Jesus who will show us and teach us how we can "taste and see that the Lord is good" right here in this broken world. We don't have to wait for heaven. We get to experience Heaven here because Jesus lived, ascended, and left us His Spirit.
THIS! This is truly a celebration.
See! I bet you wonder why you haven't been following the Christian calendar too. Eastertide, I'm already a fan.
I have been reading Luke 24 over and over. The women visited the grave. They took spices with them to prepare Jesus' body. But He wasn't there. The angels looked right at the women and told them He'd risen exactly like He said He would. Off they went to tell the others. But their words appeared as nonsense. Peter, though, ran to the grave to see what they were talking about.
Then, in verse 13, Luke begins a story that is so meaningful to me. It's the first real story with real people after the big Easter event. The older I get, the more I love stories like this one, stories of real people living their boring lives until Jesus interrupts. Go and read for yourself. (Luke 24:13-35)
Over the next few weeks, I want to share some thoughts I have about this precious story. They’re very simple thoughts, but I feel like they are important.
We live so many years beyond this first Easter story, and it's easy to jump over important details, feelings, and emotions. We say things like, "Friday is here but Sunday's coming!" It's true. Easter Sunday is always coming.... just two days after Good Friday. Our version, though, is awfully sanitized and neat.
Somehow, I think it all unfolded a little differently, more slowly for the first Easter attenders. This couple on the road to Emmaus offers a realistic picture of life after Jesus' resurrection. He rose just as He said. But He didn't make any promises about how it would all unfold from there. Jesus would continue being human, and so will we.
What does the journey of life with the resurrected Jesus look like? How do we flourish in it? What is expected of us in the process?
Well, I'm not entirely sure. But I do know He promised to do it with us. I believe that's the whole point. That's the Good News!
Where are you on your journey?
Who are you with?
What are you feeling?
Have you made some plans that haven't worked out or that you’re not sure will work out?
Do you have a vision for where you'll go from here?
These are regular, everyday questions. They're important to us, so I think they're important to Jesus.
It was right and good to let the uncertainty of Lent loom in the background of all of our sacrifice. It feels like Eastertide has a different vibe. The human condition will linger, so life will still have its difficulties. But we don't face them alone. Forever, we have a risen Savior.
Let's celebrate Him with Him!
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