Keeping Easter Joy Alive
Photo image courtesy of Pixabay
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. - 1 Peter 1:3
As the calendar moves past Lent and Easter Sunday, we can easily find ourselves beginning to back burner the deep focus and spiritual connection we experienced during this period. Time moves on, schedules are busy, and we turn our attention to the next holiday or event. Sure, we still go to church and engage somewhat in the spiritual disciplines, but the intentionality fades. I know I’m guilty of it.
What if, instead, we think of Easter not as an ending point but as a beginning, because isn’t that what it is? It’s rebirth! It’s an ongoing celebration! The liturgical calendar recognizes this through the practice of Eastertide, a 50-day period spanning from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday, celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, His ascension, and the descent of the Holy Spirit. My own faith tradition has never leaned heavily into liturgical practices, but I’m learning to embrace them more as I look for ways to practically integrate joy, gratitude and peace into my daily life. Eastertide offers a helpful framework for doing this.
As 1 Peter 1:3 highlights, “…He has given us new birth into a living hope…” This is certainly worthy of ongoing celebration! So how do we do this? What are some practical ways we can keep joy alive and be mindful of our “living hope,” especially during this Eastertide period? One way is to set aside time to slowly and thoughtfully read passages of scripture that cover the time between the Resurrection and Pentecost, reflecting on the miracle of the empty tomb and the time Jesus spent with His disciples. Another is to create a music playlist of songs with a resurrection theme and listen daily. And finally, we can bring an atmosphere of celebration into everyday living by something as simple as preparing a celebratory meal to share.
There’s no shortage of ways to keep resurrection joy alive; we just have to choose to make it a priority. I invite you to join me.
Questions for Reflection:
1. Have you ever celebrated Eastertide? If so, how did you use this period of time to focus on the joy of our salvation and celebrate the resurrection beyond Easter Sunday? If not, would you consider trying it?
2. I’ve listed a few suggestions above for keeping joy alive during Eastertide. What additional ideas do you have to add to my list?
