Easter reflections

Easter is (obviously) an important event on the Christian calendar. I grew up in a tradition that avoided putting too much emphasis on certain days of the calendar. This is because, of course, Christians should celebrate the resurrection every day! This is a great thing, but it can has the potential to become repetitive. I mean, every single Sunday recounting the death and resurrection...what a drag! (notice the sarcasm here).

I know there are pros and cons to both approaches, but for Journey we love following the Christian calendar. It gives us many opportunities to truly engage and remember in unique ways. This was the case for me this year. From Ash Wednesday to Palm Sunday. From Good Friday to Easter Sunday. Each gathering held a unique purpose and used a unique form to help us to experience the event.

For me, I particularly enjoyed the 'grand finale,' if you will. The final weekend. Good friday was a powerful time of silence and reflection as we had prayer stations set up to engage the senses to remember the brutality and ugliness of the cross and Jesus' death. Then on Easter Sunday at 6:45 am - as the sun rose in the sky - we were reminded of a new day, a new hope. I love how the whole thing was a process. It was 40 days of intentional remembering leading up to a simple (yet profound) celebration of life that stood in stark contrast to the despair of death.
And the whole process was done in community. We remembered and experienced it together. I am thankful that we can embrace the tradition of following the Christian Calendar, but in a way that gives us freedom to do it in the context of community.