By Rev. Racquel Ray, Associate Minister
The season of Easter, or Eastertide, lasts for fifty days – until Pentecost Sunday. This is where the name for Pentecost Sunday comes from, the fifty days of Eastertide. Therefore, it’s still Easter!
If you missed any of the Easter services here at Barrington Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, I am sorry. We had a robust Holy Week and Easter indeed! The church was crowded on both Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, and the Sunrise service at Osamequin was very well attended and beautiful – even with the cold drizzle. In addition, the Maundy Thursday Tenebrae service and the Good Friday Labyrinth walk were moving and visceral reminders of Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf. We are blessed indeed!
In the days since Easter I’ve heard from many colleagues across multiple beliefs and worldviews that they, too, had large crowds for Easter services. Perhaps, our culture is at a tipping point? Are we now coming to a place, safely removed from the trauma of the Covid-19 pandemic, where we as a society are ready to re-explore our faith? What is calling people to come to church? Or, maybe the better question is ‘who’? We heard in the Easter story that Jesus was crucified, died, and rose again to redeem humanity from our own humanness.
Easter reminds us of not only the great sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf but also the greatest miracle – the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Mark’s Gospel we read the story,
“And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here.”
What do you think Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome, who bought spices so that they might anoint Jesus, experienced in the garden at that news? The scripture says they were both terrified and amazed. Rightly so. And later, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene to comfort and assure her.
We often say, as church people, we are an “Easter People”. What does that mean, exactly?! We see the world through resurrection eyes. That, like Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, we continue to care for others – even in our grief and dismay. We continue to show up for one another – even when we are terrified and amazed. And we support one another when we need comfort and assurance. The ‘first Easter’ believers show us the way.
This Eastertide, as you begin to emerge from the long frozen, snowy winter, come to church and see for yourself. Continue to care for one another, show up for one another, and support each other. The doors are open and the stone is rolled away. The Good News is spoken – Jesus has been raised. Come and see.