Celebrating Eastertide
Find a way to celebrate the new life we have in Christ. What is more worthy of a lengthy celebration than Christ’s resurrection?
This past Sunday, my pastor hurried to the back of the narthex to run a cotton candy machine. Kids lined up for the sugary treat. Once they were served, adults were free to indulge.
The reason?
My church is celebrating Eastertide right now.
In various Christian traditions, believers go through a 40-day period of lamenting and contemplating Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross (Lent), leading up to Easter. When Easter arrives, we often celebrate the resurrection for one only day, then we go on with our lives. But traditionally, Christians celebrated the resurrection for 40 days, post Easter (until the Ascension), or for 50 days (between Easter and Pentecost).
There’s a time to lament, and there’s a time to celebrate. There’s a time to give up something for Christ, and there’s a time to celebrate what he has done – conquered sin and death and offered us new life.
We live on the other side of the cross and resurrection. Romans 6:4 (ESV) says it well: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
There are so many ways a Christian can walk in the newness of life, celebrating Eastertide: You could:
Keep singing Easter hymns (He Arose, Christ the Lord is Risen Today, Jesus Paid it All).
Use Easteride-focused liturgy, like this from the Book of Common Prayer.
Recite the Nicene Creed or the Apostles’ Creed or any number of other creeds that your faith tradition embraces.
Immerse yourself in the four Gospel accounts of Christ’s life.
Does your church or family use advent candles? Maybe use a Paschal candle for Eastertide.
Do something you wouldn’t ordinarily do (think: cotton candy), as a way to celebrate.
If all of this is too structured for you, find another way to celebrate the new life we have in Christ. What is more worthy of a lengthy celebration than Christ’s resurrection?
April Spotlight:
You never know where God might show up. In this collection of personal essays, you’ll read about him showing up in a nursing home during a Christmas caroling excursion, in a bowling alley during a rock concert, in the contents of a family Bible, in a restaurant as two elderly people seek the company of strangers, and so much more.
Here are some tidbits you might find interesting this week:
Check out this photo of a tree that a librarian transformed into a little free library.
I had no idea that you could buy a 9-in-1 record player that has bluetooth, a cassette deck, CD drive, USB port and more.
This is such a good read: Knees in the Dirt: finding seeds of connection in the soil of suffering by Sarah E. Westfall.
“He [God] has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God] …” -Ecclesiastes 3:11 (AMP)
I shot this short video this past week, asking the question, “Who are your three [that you’re speaking into spiritually]?”
When Lee isn’t writing essays, devotional books, or Christmas novellas, he is a freelance editor, as well as a freelance journalist who has written hundreds of articles for various newspapers and magazines. He’s also a fan of NASCAR, baseball, tennis, books, movies and coffee shops.