Day Two

I’m sure there have been quite a few people through the centuries who have reflected as Easter Sunday draws to a close: “It doesn’t seem fair that we focus on the cross for 40 days during Lent, but then the empty tomb gets only a single day’s focus on Easter.” If you’ve ever had a similar thought, there is good news for you:

Easter is more than a single day.

That’s true in more ways that one. Yes, we are “Easter people” who live in the reality of the Resurrection every day of our lives. But it’s also true in a liturgical sense, because Easter is not just a single day on the church calendar—it's a season of its own.

We call this season “Eastertide,” and it lasts from Easter Sunday until Pentecost. During this time we reflect on the Resurrection and also the time Jesus spent with his disciples before his Ascension. It’s a season of joy, celebration, and worship. In this season we find an invitation to commemorate our journey from the empty tomb with as much commitment and intentionality as we commemorated our journey to the cross. British theologian N.T. Wright once remarked in a sermon:

“I don’t know how you do it here, but in my tradition today, alas, after forty days of Lenten fasts, and three days of deep and serious concentration on the meaning of the cross, we have precisely one morning of Easter festivities. And then people disappear, exhausted by the rigors of Holy Week, the clergy go on holiday, and the only celebration that is left is eating up the remains of the chocolate Easter eggs!

No, we should make Easter a forty-day celebration. If Lent is that long, Easter should be at least that long, all the way to Ascension.”—N.T. Wright

Traditionally we take it even 10 days further than Wright suggests, as Eastertide lasts 50 days. It is, in fact, the longest liturgical season on the church calendar (since Ordinary Time doesn’t technically count as a “season”).

So as we begin our walk from the empty tomb of Easter to the upper room of Pentecost, let’s embrace the invitation to celebrate our risen Lord with joyful hearts and expectant spirits. Just as Jesus revealed himself to the disciples after the Resurrection, he stands ready to reveal himself to us during these 50 days. Let the shout continue to ring out from the lips of his Easter people:

He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

May God bless you as you begin your journey of Eastertide.

Had Christ, who once was slain,
ne’er burst his three-day prison,
our faith had been in vain.
But now hath Christ arisen,
arisen, arisen, arisen.

Read the rest of the lyrics here

For a modern worship song based on this hymn click here

Here is a hymn for Easter Day, 'This joyful Eastertide'. The melody comes from Joachim Oudaen's David's Psalmen (1685) and was harmonised by Charles Wood in ...

Questions for Reflection

1) How might you “extend” your celebration of Easter for the next 7 weeks? What practices, disciplines, or devotional tools might help you embrace the journey of Eastertide?

2) As the journey of Lent invites us to explore dying to self in light of the cross, the season of Eastertide invites us to explore the new life Jesus offers to those who trust in him. How has that been revealed in your life? How have you experienced resurrection and new life in your spiritual walk?

3) The post-resurrection accounts in the gospel show Jesus revealing himself to the disciples, meeting them in their doubt and need (Thomas), and offering restoration and a renewal of calling (Peter). As you spend these days with Jesus, what would you ask of him during this time? What needs do you bring to the risen Christ, trusting in his power to meet you there?

4) This 100+ year-old hymn includes this invitation: “My flesh in hope shall rest.” How might you rest more fully in the hope of Easter in these days that seem so full of chaos and turmoil?

5) Read and reflect on this passage of Scripture. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.”—1 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)