Easter Sunday. The light and joy of Sunday morning in any church is incredible. It’s palpable. The cheery greetings and colorful clothes, coupled with the brilliant sun this year reinforce what we are celebrating. This joy infects me, every year, without fail. It lightened my step as I returned home after services. It colored my laughter at Easter dinner with my aunts and grandmother. It hasn’t left. It has made the pile of homework I had to do more tolerable. It has made cleaning less of a chore.
This stems from a couple things:
One is that Easter is a reminder that the story isn’t over. Even in the midst of sorrow, hopelessness and loneliness we are never truly alone. Christ is risen and the journey continues.
The role of community is important the Easter narrative. Following the crucifixion the disciples, scared, withdrew together. They leaned on one another in these moments of doubt and danger. Easter reminds me of my reliance on my community.The people in our lives who make us feel loved and less alone. The people who welcome you when you invite yourself last minute. The friends who check-in when they know you’re having a tough day. The people who you can just exist around. I lean on them for strength and companionship and I would be lost without them.
The community and reminder that our work is not finished that this time offers is so important for me, because they are easy to forget or take for granted. Out of these realizations flows a deep and unshakeable joy that softens the edges of the world. Especially this time of year, when the amount of assignments can leave me feeling a bit unmoored, this joy is a steady and reliable touchstone. Easter places it in clear view and provides the opportunity to reflect and to experience that joy. For that, I am thankful.