Most things we celebrate in our culture get only a day’s worth of our time. Whether it is a birthday, a national holiday, or any other noteworthy event, we circle it on the calendar and celebrate it that one day when it arrives. And that being said, you might think we already are done celebrating Easter. Your mind may have already moved on. You may have put away the decorations. You may have eaten the last of the ham on a sandwich for lunch today. After all, Easter was last Sunday, right? Well, in the Church Year Calendar which has been used for century upon century by Christian people, Easter is not over. It is celebrated for more than one day.
God’s people have judged rightly that Easter is way too important to celebrate for only twenty- four hours. It far outranks all other celebrations. And so the church sets aside a week of weeks (seven weeks) to celebrate this great and holy day. Yes, seven Sundays total and the days in between them are set aside to continue to revel in the fact that Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. We continue for 50 days to say with great joy, “He is risen.†We continue all the way until the celebration of Pentecost to marvel at the glorious thing that God has done in Christ.
Think of everything that has happened in this world that was worthy of note. Book after book and newspaper after newspaper have recorded millions and millions of events people believed to be worthy of attention. And yet this truth remains. Nothing has ever happened that is more consequential than Jesus leaving the tomb early Easter Sunday morning. For in Jesus’ resurrection, we are promised that all things will one day be made new. His new and perfect body is the first evidence of all that is to come.
God did not simply give up on this world after humanity brought sin into his creation. Instead, at just the right time, he sent Jesus from heaven to earth. Jesus died for everything that was broken about this world and was raised up to recreate it in perfection. Even now, he does his work of making things new through his Church of which he is the Head. Through his Word and through his Sacraments, Jesus drives out what is old and makes things new. He destroys sin with forgiveness and brings life through his Spirit. He is now doing the work that he will complete on the last day. On that day, he will destroy everything that is corrupted and create a new heaven and earth in which his people will live forever.
We might be able to list other historical events that had consequences for generations and generations. But nothing has been as consequential to human history as Jesus’ resurrection. And certainly nothing has been able to display its importance all the way into eternity.
It is right that most other things we know get only one day to celebrate while Easter gets a week of week’s worth of our attention. He was dead and is now alive. And all who believe in him will live even though they die. They will be raised up bodily on the last day. How could just one day contain all the necessary praise?
Originally Published in the Ellsworth Independent Reporter
Phil,
The article you quote says:”Well, in the Church Year Calendar which has been used for century upon century by Christian people, Easter is not over.” That’s correct but since the majority of Lutheran churches have abandoned the historic calendar and the historic lectionary, it is not too difficult to see why “the one and done” mentality has pervaded modern Lutheranism when it comes to Paschal time.