Celebrating on Easter Sunday

It's Resurrection Sunday! We celebrate Jesus' resurrection, as well as His victory over death and evil. In the ancient church, this was when new converts (as well as those returning to the fold), would be baptized and become full members after multiple years of education about the faith. In the past, there would be all-night vigils from Saturday night until Sunday morning. Nowadays, some Christians have a service from 10pm Saturday until 1am Sunday, with a communion service at midnight. Easter is not a day, as many in the Church believe, but it is a season that runs from Resurrection Sunday up through Pentecost Sunday (50 days after Easter). This site here has a lot of the history of Easter and how it has been celebrated.

Today, we will read from Matthew 28:1-15, Mark 16:1-12, Luke 24:1-12, and John 20. (By all means, we can read all of Matthew 28 and Mark 16 to also get Jesus' Commission, as well as all of Luke 24, to read about Jesus' other appearances and His ascension into heaven, but the selections above focus on His resurrection.)

How is our celebration of Resurrection Sunday different from a secular celebration of Easter? If we drew a vinn diagram, how much similarities would there be between a secular person's and religious person's expenditures, activities, and celebrations? It is a worthy question to carefully weigh our answer.

Our culture has turned Easter into an overly-commercialized day of gluttony and self-indulgence. Rather than viewing our actions as avoiding the bunnies, chicks, marshmallow sweets, eggs, and other commercialized money traps, we can reclaim Holy Week as a time of church traditions instead of store purchases. 

Sure, we can twist Christian meaning into the commercialization of this set of Holy Days, but are we really showing ourselves to be different from the world by our activities and purchases? If we put a chocolate cross into a basket instead of a bunny, are we really being that different from the world? Should a chocolate version of Jesus' execution implement be sold as candy? If we have the same Easter baskets, egg hunts, and celebrations with just a few extra sentences about the Christian veneer we are painting over these secular traditions, are we showing ourselves to be different from the world? 

I think there are plenty of resources that show ways to "Christianize" secular Easter traditions, but it is my hope that as the Church we spend more time focusing on the sacred and religious traditions that are the Church's special way of celebrating and commemorating this holy day. Using Christianized secular traditons and reading Christian meaning into secular objects can be a good way to build a bridge with our non-Christians friends and relatives as we use their objects to point to Christ, but we could question their place in the Church and in the lives of Christians. 

How will you celebrate this Resurrection Sunday?

Quietly Waiting on Holy Saturday

Welcome to Easter Eve.  As we continue to wait quietly for the resurrection, we remember Jesus' death and burial in the tomb. Some Christians attend an Easter Vigil service today. This page and This page has a bit of history as well as some common practices. 

Our Scripture for today is Matthew 27:57-66, Mark 15:42-47, Luke 23:5-56, and John 19:38-42. These passages cover Jesus' burial.

Some Christians quietly wait by attending an Easter Vigil which can last from nightfall until just before sunrise. The atmosphere of this day is one of mourning and fasting. We think about Jesus' death as we await His resurrection. As we stay awake in the long hours of the night, we can do devotional exercises and spend time in prayer. In its fullest sense, the Vigil is about us waiting for the coming of the Lord. This page has more details about the Vigil. 

Historically, some Christians would quietly wait by fasting for 40 hours over Good Friday and Holy Saturday. (40 hours being the time he was thought to have been in the tomb). This final fast of Lent would be broken either by communion or the feast on Easter, although some denominations allow a little fruit midway through this day. Some denominations view this holy day as a day of private contemplation as no services were held. Due to the pandemic, it may be possible to join in an online vigil instead of an in-person service. 

It does seem fitting to continue abstaining from enjoyable activities from Good Friday through Holy Saturday as well. This is not a day to spend on ourselves or our pleasure, but to contemplate Jesus' death and the experiences of Jesus' first followers as they witnessed His crucifixion and burial. There are other weekends for projects, hobbies, and outings. This is a solemn time as we imagine ourselves waking up on that first Holy Saturday and feeling the grief, shock, despair, and confusion of the first Christians. 

I am intrigued by how the fasting and the Vigil interact with Resurrection Sunday. Instead of a full Sunday of feasting and celebrations, we would be tired and want to rest. Instead of spending hours in the kitchen cooking elaborate meals, we might prefer simple, nutrious food to end the fast. 

How can you wait quietly on this Holy Saturday?