He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee.

Luke 24:6

Easter came and went with a decidedly different flare this year. Granted, the online services were phenomenal and reached way more than even the usual Easter crowd. A sense of worship was in the air. 

But then the pity party set in. From my earliest memory, Easter was a time for family and tradition. Photos of me in my smocked Easter dress, dainty corsage pinned on, came to mind. Easter bonnets were in vogue—my mother wore the best. While Good Friday services were somber and reflective, Easter Sunday, heady with the perfume of Easter lilies en masse, was full of joy and celebration. The evening dinner table was piled high with everyone’s favorite food as grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins congregated. And yes, my Easter basket was loaded.  

As our kids grew, we made our own traditions. When the grandsons arrived the Easter egg hunts became more creative. This year, I admit, I missed it all. I missed joining with others in silent reflection Good Friday. As luck (or God’s sense of humor) would have it, I did not miss the sunrise un-service in the cemetery—storm sirens on cue. I did miss the pastor’s greeting: “He is risen!” And our response: “He is risen indeed!” I missed our bagel breakfast on the way to church. And dinner for two was just not the same.

Wallowing in self brought me to my knees. I can only imagine the loss the little group of Jesus-followers experienced that first Easter weekend. It had been a crazy week. First the loud hosannas of the crowd as Jesus entered the city the previous Sunday. On Monday He overturned the tables of the money changers, calling them robbers. On Tuesday His teaching raised a bunch of eyebrows. Then Thursday, at the Passover table, He said He was about to be betrayed by one of them; but it was part of the plan. 

And it was. He was arrested and tortured and hung on a cross and died and was buried, before their very eyes. Why, Peter even denied knowing Jesus. Those who stood at the cross watching could not believe the state of affairs. All hope was gone.  

But then came Sunday! Ladies, even if it feels like Friday in your life today, Sunday is coming. He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Nancy P