Easter merriment - April 20
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 97, 99; PM Psalm 115, Exod. 12:40-51; 1 Cor. 15:(29)30-41; Matt. 28:1-16
Walking down the hallway of Saint Stephen’s last night on the way to the April vestry meeting, I saw narrow, colorful crinkles of paper in hues of green, blue, and brown on the floor. They were strewn about, but the line of Easter joy could be traced back to the Gathering Space, the wide open area where a lovely reception was held following the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday night. Tables had been adorned with boards of cheeses and meats, a platter of fruits, festive beverages, and a decadent spread of candies and chocolates. The sweet treats were arranged whimsically in verdant single-serving cups and arranged on beds of the colorful paper (a sustainable alternative to old school plastic Easter basket grass). What a lovely way to welcome the congregation to eat, drink, and be merry, ringing in the Easter hope - resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
That merriment – leaving behind trails of pastel paper shards – differed from what the apostle Paul warned against. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul was making the case that Jesus was raised from the dead; this path of following Jesus the Christ was connected to a bigger purpose of eternal life and faithfulness with God. The enemy – death – was destroyed. Jesus’ rising from the dead shattered a barrier that had been there before. He expanded the vista of his followers. As a people of resurrection, dwelling in Corinth and beyond, a new chapter of awareness dawned. Paul spelled it out: we need not stumble into bacchanalian feasts, expending it all before the end. The resurrection of Jesus was, and is, our new reality.
The language he uses is a direct reference to Isaiah 22, when the Israelites were not honoring God. The prophet issued an oracle – a vision – forecasting the destruction of Jerusalem. Rather than mourning and wearing sackcloth, the Israelite people chose ill-timed revelry of slaughtering livestock and drinking wine, chanting the justification, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” They were untethered from the order stemming from faithfulness in the Lord.
So, while people of my age may read this scripture and be carried back to memories of college jam bands – a la Dave Mathews crooning the words, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we’ll die…” in his song “Tripping Billies” about his first encounter on the beaches of South Africa with a hallucinatory drug and the police – know that when we do celebrate, Christians need not mindlessly fill the void that death creates. The tomb is opened, the stone rolled away. Wholeness, restoration, and life in God await – and are already here. As resurrection people, we are to share that hope. We are to tell that story. And friends, perhaps we tell the story through our tears. Perhaps we proclaim the joy at a table of delectable treats. Or maybe we share the hope of Jesus through sitting with someone at the brink of life and death. It is in each of these moments that we will see Jesus the risen Lord.
-- Katherine+
Questions for Reflection
What does an ideal celebration look like to you? When did a big party feel healing and restorative? What about a time that felt ill-timed or gauche?
Daily Challenge
Reflect today on what the resurrection of Jesus means to you. What is joyous? What is hard? What builds your faith? What questions remain?