He is Risen Indeed!
In many ways this Easter will be like all the other Easters that have come before – Christians around the world will gather to celebrate the risen Christ, newness of life and hope for our world. However, this is one of the first times I haven’t gone to worship on Easter morning. I thought I would share some links back to a few very special Easter memories I have from the past few years:
- Celebrating Easter weekend with my family: In 2004, while I was working at Living Waters Presbyterian Church in Wendell, Idaho, my family came out for the weekend. We had a great time together and they were able to worship with me at the church I had served for the previous 2 years.
- Attending the Paschal Service at Saint Ignatius of Antioch Orthodox Church in Twin Falls: I had become very good friends with the Parish Priest of the Antiochian Orthodox Church in Twin Falls and he invited me to come and celebrate this service with his parish. It was an incredible experience. It was my first time marching around a church, and I even got to carry one of the processional torches.
- 5am Great Vigil of Easter at Princeton University Chapel: It was my first year at Princeton Seminary and a group of us got dressed up and walked over to the University Chapel at 4.45am for the Easter service. It was a great service and it was filled with some wonderful memories with friends.
What are some of your favorite Easter memories?
My hope for each of you is that you may be filled with joy and hope this Easter as you celebrate and spend time with friends and family. I leave you with the following quote from theologian Jurgen Moltmann:
When we talk about Christ’s resurrection from the dead we are not talking about a fact. We are talking about a process. We are talking in one and the same breath about the foundation, the future and the practical exercise of God’s liberation of men and women, and his redemption of the world. So what we can know historically about Christ’s resurrection must not be abstracted from the question of what we can hope from it, and what we have to do in its name. Kant made this intrinsic connection clear. It is only in living unity of knowing, hoping and doing that Christ’s resurrection must be understood in its true historical sense. (Jurgen Moltmann, Jesus Christ for Today’s World, Fortress, 1994, pp. 79-80).
[via Ponderings on a Faith Journey]
Image Credits: “The Risen Lord” by artist He Qi