It might feel that Easter was a long time ago, but “Eastertide” lasts for 50 days. It is that season between Easter Sunday and Pentecost. Following the resurrection, Jesus spent time teaching and being with His disciples before His Ascension. Ten days after Christ’s Ascension, Jesus’ disciples witnessed the Holy Spirit, which is Pentecost - the birth of the church. Liturgically speaking, Lent is most commonly expressed in fasting and reflection, whereas Easter is expressed in feasting and celebrating. Eastertide is a season to celebrate the work of the church and to acknowledge the power of the Spirit working among us.
Easter gives hope – it gives hope that because of Christ all things are made new - “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
T. Wright, in his book Surprised by Hope stated:
“With Easter, God’s new creation is launched upon a surprised world, pointing ahead to the renewal, the redemption, the rebirth of the entire creation.... every act of love, every deed done in Christ and by the Spirit, every work of true creativity - doing justice, making peace, healing families, resisting temptation, seeking and winning true freedom - is an earthly event in a long history of things that implement Jesus’s own resurrection and anticipate the final new creation and act as signposts of hope.”
May we as a church community, as a city, as churches around the world, experience the renewal, the redemption, and the rebirth found in the risen Christ. May we be filled with hope.
Blessings, Pastor Michele