April Fools: A Moveable Feast - April 8

Today’s Readings: AM: Psalm 85, 87; Isaiah 52:7-12; Hebrews 2:5-10 PM: Psalm 110:1-5(6-7), 132; Wisdom 9:1-12; John 1:9-14

Today is a weird day liturgically.  Typically, the Annunciation of our Lord (Luke 1:26-38) falls on March 25, exactly nine months before Christmas Day.  This year, March 25 was the Monday in Holy Week which means the date was skipped and moved to today, April 8.  In a spoof social media post on April 1, Archbishop Justin Welby shared that due to the shift from March 25, to April 8 (after celebrating the eight days of Easter), that “In order to preserve the connectedness between these liturgical feasts, therefore, the Nativity of Our Lord will be transferred to fall nine months after the Annunciation.  As a result, Christmas Day will be moved to January 8, 2025, and celebrated for the 12 days afterward.” 

I appreciate a good April Fool’s joke, although I thought that Birmingham Now declaring Brookwood Mall was to be converted to an Aquarium to be more exciting.  With April Fools being the day after Easter, a day where clergy rarely check emails or even get out of their pajamas, I feel like I missed out on April Fools.  So, I would like to declare April Fools to be a new movable feast to today and encourage all of the tomfoolery and shenanigans you can muster upon reading this reflection. 

In all seriousness, Easter is a season of hope, where people encounter Jesus Christ when they least expect it.  There is something about hearing news that is unbelievable or that we can’t imagine being true that comes with faith. Maybe it’s when a person who has broken your confidence more than you remember acts in a way that surprises you and shows growth and hope.  Maybe it’s when the person who you have failed to see eye to eye with, who stands counter to your nature, teaches you something about grace and mercy. Maybe it’s when a person chooses love and humility when there is no reason to offer, love and humility, a counter-action to the nature of our universe. 

To believe in Easter is to be open to what nature tells us we shouldn’t believe. And maybe, there is some wisdom in April Fools, an idea that infuses us with surprise and mystery, to tell us what we shouldn’t believe has a place in this universe. 

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection: What would surprise you most this day that you long to hear?