Observing Eastertide

Eastertide is the season from Easter through Pentecost. It is a 50 day period of time (including Sundays) that continues the celebration of the Resurrection. It includes both Easter Sunday and Pentecost Sunday, before we progress to "Ordinary Time", but more on that later. There are 8 Sundays in Eastertide, but Easter & Pentecost are pretty busy as it is.

Rather than putting away Easter decorations the day after Easter, take time to revel in this season.

Go on walks and notice the trees budding and the flowers blooming.

Consider how you can remember, incorporate, and practice the resurrection. 

Reflect on ways you have seen life come after death, such as mushrooms growing on a fallen tree. 

Keep a record of things you are thankful for. Write it as a thank you note to God to give Him the credit for the good in your life. 

After the fasting of Lent, consider observing a practice for the 50 days of Eastertide to celebrate, express joy, or experience freedom. (Be sure that your practice remains a source of joy and does not become a burden or a duty). 

A quick online search of "Eastertide practices" will bring up a host of suggestions. This post has 6 ideas to be practiced over Eastertide. This one recommends focusing on a theme for the 50 days as a congregation. This post encourages people to focus on observing the Sabbath and practicing compassion. This one recommends cultivating the practice of sharing with others in Eastertide and beyond. 

There is often a focus in our culture on the big deeds, the showy actions, the spectacular sacrifices, but during this Eastertide, we will focus on the small things, the seemingly mundane, and the ordinary things. 

Like in a relationship, something big and spectacular can make you feel valued and cared for, but what keeps the relationship growing and in good health, are the small, daily acts of love that you show to your spouse. Yes, it is wonderful to be whisked away to a bed & breakfast and be taken on a night-time horse-drawn carriage ride, but the small things nourish the relationship over time. Some examples include: 

• Greeting your spouse with a smile when they come home from work. 
• Cooking a dish they enjoy eating. 
• Treating your spouse with respect through your tone, body language, and words. 
• Giving your spouse a hug after a hard day. 
• Going on a walk with your spouse even when you're tired. 

These kinds of little things continually whisper a reminder to your spouse that you love them and cherish them. These things may not be expensive, but they cost us our time, our preferences, and our effort each day. They require us to die to ourselves and our preferences as we seek to love, respect, and serve our spouse. 

So we will look at 6 small, mundane things during the weeks of Eastertide. We will consider how these things will breath life into our lives and those around us, through the small acts of faithfulness over time. 

How will you observe the full season of Eastertide?