Where Did Easter Go?

Easter was here just a week ago.

After weeks of preparing and practicing in Lent, Easter exploded in light and celebration. There were hours of special church services over three days last week. Social media feeds were filled with photos of family gatherings and resurrection memes. Children hunted for hidden eggs. The air was filled with the aroma of chocolate.

Then Easter seemed to disappear overnight. We moved on to the next thing, whether that was basketball or April Fools Day. Within a day or two, Easter had been taken down and put away for another year. We did not take much time to listen or reflect on what Easter means to us.

Fortunately for us, in our liturgical church Easter is not a single day event. Easter is a season, like Lent before it, that lasts for seven weeks. We can take time to consider the effect Easter has in our lives and practice its rhythms.

Easter takes some time. Easter disrupts the ways we usually live and experience life. We develop familiar patterns and habits, ways of moving through our lives. We like to think of ourselves in certain ways, as certain people. Easter has a way of calling our standard routines and ideas into question.

Easter is about new life, beyond the ordinary.

Easter happens when spiritual life flows into our cracks and breaks us open. We are opened in new ways. Light shines into corners that have been dark.

Easter is more than bunnies, eggs, or even chocolate. Easter takes more than one day, or even three.

Easter changes everything. It takes some time to get used to it and appreciate it.

Where will your life go beyond the ordinary today?

How long will your Easter last? How is your Easter changing you?

[Image by justine-reyes]