Easter Season

​We rightly put a lot of time and energy into getting ready and then celebrating on Easter morning. I was thrilled with how everything went this year and grateful to everyone who made it possible.
 
But Easter is more than a day: Easter is a season lasting seven weeks, and we are still near the beginning. In the Bible, numbers mean different things. Seven is the number of days of creation and therefore is the number of perfection and completion. It is no accident that Easter lasts seven weeks. That is seven sevens—the perfect number twice over!
 
For all seven weeks, we worship with a little extra joy. We are celebrating Christ’s victory over sin and death, so we drop the confession of sin. We throw “alleluias” around wherever we can fit them in. The music is upbeat and joyful.
 
As it happens, this year the weather seems to be cooperating with the liturgical calendar. At my house, plants began blooming during Holy Week, and it was clear that winter really was behind us. It has been wet, but at least today is sunny. And it is a joy to watch nature bursting into abundant life all around us!
 
During this Easter season, we should all take a little time to appreciate God’s blessings in our lives—the people, places, events, opportunities, and so on that bring us joy. They are little grace moments, glimpses of resurrection life. And the practice of pausing to notice and give thanks may well be the best way to celebrate Easter. Alleluia, alleluia!!