Happy Easter! Did you take a second look at which month of the newsletter you are reading? Though Easter Sunday of 2022 has now come and gone in the life of the church, the Easter season extends all the way to Pentecost. This season is called “Eastertide” and it lasts through the Day of Ascension and Pentecost. Forty days after Jesus rose from the dead (Easter) we remember the Ascension, which is when we recognize Jesus ascending into heaven. Ten days later, we find ourselves celebrating, once again, Pentecost Sunday, which marks the descending of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church. This year, the Day of Ascension is on May 26th, and Pentecost is on June 5th. Thus, from now till June 5th, we are still in the Happy Easter season.
What does it mean to still be in the Happy Easter season? On the cross, Jesus spoke these final words, “it is finished.” However, even after giving everything up, even after defeating death and rising from the grave, Jesus still returns to earth to walk with us and continue the work God has sent him to do. That part of Jesus’s mission, the work he did on the cross, was finished, but the mission of Christ continues on. He takes his disciples to the next level of faith with greater revelation of truth during this time. He doesn’t leave them wondering and in fear, but helps to clarify that which was confusing and continues to impress upon them the importance of continuing the mission Jesus began. To still be in the Happy Easter season means to continue the mission that Jesus began.
This mission is to bring life abundantly to all people. Jesus did this by walking with, talking with, living life with other people. He healed the sick and spoke the truth of God. He ate with sinners and broke bread with traitors. He went to temple worship and celebrated wedding festivities. He cried and laughed and built things. He did a lot of really cool things, but also told us we could do those cool things too. Now, my building skills aren’t much to brag about, but I know others who could do a bit of bragging in this area. Some of those people would never get up in front of a congregation and preach. We don’t have to be good at it all, just willing to intentionally live in community with other people.
Isn’t it great that to still be in the Happy Easter season means to live in community with others? Here is the catch: even though Eastertide 2022 will end, we will always be an Easter people. Jesus doesn’t climb back up on the cross every year; we just remember what he did every year. Until Jesus comes again, we are in the Eastertide season. We are tasked with a single purpose: to show the love and truth of Jesus. The way we do that might look different for each of us, but at the end of the day, it is simple. Live your truth, live in community, and carry on the mission of Jesus. Be an Easter (resurrected) person!
From one light to another,
Pastor Hannah Loughman