As I write this, we are in the midst of Holy Week: sitting at table with one another, standing at the foot of the cross, and waiting to find the tomb empty. And yet we know Easter is coming. Those trumpets will blow, the organ will play, and our voices will lift up to proclaim that Christ is Risen. And with a flowered cross and wonderful attire we celebrate, then as the service ends, we gather with family and friends for feasting. But as the sun sets on Easter Sunday, what then? Is Easter done and over with? Baskets, eggs, and fancy hats squirrelled away for 364 days again?
In the life of the church, Easter is not simply one day, but a season – seven weeks to be precise. 50 days after Easter, we will celebrate Pentecost which is kind of like the church’s birthday – when the Holy Spirit gathered followers of Christ to work together. In those seven weeks, what was started on Easter Sunday continues and will inform us as the Church of who we follow in the Risen Christ.
You may be wondering – should we pull out all the stops again for all seven weeks? Surely, children are going to grow tired of searching for eggs all those Sundays? And that is true, we probably shouldn’t re-live Easter like that every Sunday, but perhaps Easter can be lived out in different ways each week and each day.
Fortunately, our scripture for each Sunday points to different aspects of Christ who shows up in our lives in different ways: as Liberated, as Comedian, as Gardner, as Shepherd, as Vine, as Love, and as Mediator. Like a diamond with many facets, Christ’s presence in our lives can vary depending on what is going on in our lives and what we may need in those moments. I would invite you to journal or pray or simply imagine all the ways that Christ has shown up in your life during these seven weeks.
By exploring these aspects that we have known, we can begin to construct that analogical diamond. Or perhaps a better analogy: that we would be able to paint a picture of a fuller Christ of one who is not just simply on or not on a cross, but The One with whom we have a familiar and personal relationship. Of all the things we celebrate on Easter perhaps this is one of the most important as we move through lives that constantly change: that Christ is always here. With so many aspects that makes Christ so real for us, it should be as apparent to us as it was to Paul, that nothing can separate us from Christ, not even death, and this we can celebrate for seven weeks.
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