A Different Easter

In past years, Easter brought me to a quiet, more contemplative place. Last year, I posted a daily meditation on the days of Holy Week as recorded in Scripture, which was a great reflective experience for me (scroll to the bottom if you follow that link). I’ve always come to dwell, though, on Good Friday; that is, the crucifixion. Its as though I wanted to punish myself in a way, or at least to never permit myself to forget the physical anguish that our Lord experienced, the extent of which we can but imagine. I wanted to remember the price paid for my soul. I’ve always come out of that with some sense of guilt, and a determination to try harder. If you’ve ever done the same, you know it to be a self-defeating cycle.

This year, I went into it unplanned, and went through the weekend with a very celebratory attitude with my faith community. We are, after all, celebrating, right? As much as we may choose to dwell on His death experience (and I don’t want to minimize that), we’re ultimately celebrating the fact that He didn’t stay that way. In fact, the crux of Easter is the culmination of God’s salvific plan for humanity. Our faith wouldn’t be worth much were it not for the Resurrection, as Paul so enthusiastically claimed.

I found that, after celebrating (more than once…what a weekend!) with friends and family this weekend, being part of Communion and baptism, and appreciating the hints of vibrant color that are beginning to appear around the Southeast, that there is a sense of newness here, a newness that He accomplished. He accomplished it at great price, something I don’t ever want to dismiss or fail to appreciate. But I think He means it to be celebrated, because the abundant life He mentioned and provides doesn’t lend itself to morbidity of past reflections for me now.

Hope you’ve had a blessed Easter.

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