Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
For Christians, Easter is not just one day on the calendar—it’s a 50-day period. As we call it in the Church, the season of Easter starts at sunset on Easter eve and ends at, and includes, Pentecost. Pentecost, you’ll recall, is the day that we celebrate God granting us the Holy Spirit and the beginning or birth of the Church (see Acts 2).
Easter season involves far more than just an extended celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. Lent was a season in the early Church for new converts to learn about being a disciple and prepare for baptism. Then, the initial purpose of this 50-day season after Easter was to strengthen the newly baptized by continuing their formation.
Today, this season gives us time to experience what it means when we say Christ is risen; He is risen indeed. We remember our baptisms and how we exchanged our unrighteousness for Christ’s Righteousness through it.
So what might living in the spirit of the Easter season mean in real-life, practical terms? Here are a few concrete ideas.
Live with Joy
Biblical joy is a deep-down gladness that cannot be taken away, even in the midst of sorrow. The combination of the Passion and the Resurrection of Jesus help teach us that suffering is transformed through faith in the Risen Christ. With this faith, we can hold on to an enduring sense of joy even in the sadness we experience from losing someone we love, or the failure to reach a big goal or another setback recovering from an injury or illness.
Live without Fear
The cross and the open tomb show us that God can overcome even death. When Christ appears to the disciples or the women at the tomb, his first words are often “Do not be afraid!” Through the gift of faith, we can trust that God can overcome our most serious problems, all for his glory.
Live with New Eyes
The Resurrection of Jesus makes “all things new” (Rev. 21:5), and so the celebration of Easter brings us that sense of newness. In cold climates, spring lifts spirits and makes people feel like the whole world is new. In the power of the Resurrection of Jesus, all things are new. The season brings such a spirit of renewal that we can even do the otherwise unthinkable and show up at work with a positive attitude. We can renew relationships that we took for granted and even express our appreciation and affection for the people closest to us. The power in the celebration helps us see the whole world through a new set of eyes—God’s eyes.
Perhaps these 50 days will help us cultivate an Easter spirit: embracing joy, living without fear, and seeing the world again—as if for the first time. Christ is Risen!
Photo by Bruno van der Kraan on Unsplash