Thoughts on Easter, 2011

Seraffa

Seraffa

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A discussion thread about "Easter, " how you view it, and how you plan on celebrating it. :)
 
I was raised christian sort of. We (my sister and I) didn't go to church except on days like easter, or when religious grandparents came in, or when some of us felt a necessity to go. And we didn't have any specific religion rammed down our throats, except the occasional irrational statement from my dad when he said "You know, Ken, you're a catholic because my mother was a catholic, even if you don't go to catholic church."

Over the past while I've thought about how the context of what Jesus, if he did exist, may have shifted through the oral tradition phase until it was written down. Not so much in what happened - but in context. People may have projected their emotions onto him. So I think I may read my favorite book of the bible on Easter - The Gospel according to Thomas. Of course, I may read The Myth of Sisyphus, Breakfast of Champions, or some book I've been meaning to read like The Farther Reaches of Human Nature. Or I may not read at all.

MOST certainly though, I'll eat at least one of those Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs. I love the shit out of those things. And then I'll get pissy that nowhere is open. It's an easter tradition!
 
Holy Week in general means a lot to me.
Remembering those final days of Jesus' life
How He washed His disciples' feet
and broke bread with them
The betrayal,
The denial,
That final nail to His feet,
The seven last words He spoke before releasing his whole Self
The darkness and despair that was felt in the air.

The confusion that soon morphed into rejoicing
The sunrise
The farewell and assurance of His Presence always
The promise of His return.


During Holy Week at my church, We start on Palm Sunday, where all the youth proceed into the sanctuary waving palm branches and singing, commemorating Jesus coming into Jerusalem...I will be singing "Hosanna" this year as they do it :)

On Maudy Thursday, we commemorate the Last Supper, by having communion, service, and the washing of each other's feet. On Good Friday, we remember His Crucifixion, by nailing all of all sins onto a huge Cross, which are then taken down and burned to nothing in front of all. We leave in silence.

On Easter Sunday, we come to service outside about 30-45 minutes before sunrise. We enter in silence. The Silence is broken, when we pray and sing praises of His Resurrection. We again break bread, and hear the Scripture of the Good News, and afterwords, have breakfast together.
 
I have heard that some churches celebrate Easter with fireworks. I think that is very cool!

I have had some spectacular Triduum/Easter seasons over the years, but I must now truly confess I have built a good measure of crowd avoidance into my present traditions. And forget hunting for Easter eggs (kid's stuff)...hunting for a parking place up at church on Easter Sunday is far more daunting. :)
 
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Moar chocolate! Chocolate eggs, chocolate bunnies, chocolate chicks.... um.. haven't seen a chocolate Jesus anywhere yet. Maybe I should patent that.:party:
 
I do truly believe that Jesus was raised from the dead as the Gospels indicate. I think one of the biggest challenges I face is to hear and immerse myself in the story as if for the first time. The reality, and the mysteries that surround it are, upon consideration, truly staggering, and seeing them anew seems to bring a deeper connection to the persons who experienced and sought to comprehend these events...much as we do even to this day. The Season is so rich it is mind-numbing....but that's no problem, the heart can take over where the mind leaves off.
 
I'd like to have a party of sorts, though I'm not sure how. It's time to celebrate, to be joyous and happy.
 
I haven't celebrated Easter for years. As a Christian, the principle of Easter is everyday for me. I don't need one weekend of the year to remind me.
Yeah, I'm a bit of a party pooper. Still, its nice going to the stores and looking at the Easter eggs, there's something about the foil wrapping and packaging that catches my eyes.
 
I hope to be able to do what the Spirit leads me to do, or go where the Spirit leads me to go.

It just started raining. The wife brought in our first rose of the season, not counting the Cherokee roses, with rain and pollen on the leaves. That reminds me of an Easter a couple of years ago. Easter: whether it is on the "correct" day of the year or not, and whether the eggs and the bunny have anything to do with fertility or not, is a very special day. Christ said, "This do in remembrance of me." Yes, He was speaking of something else; but the spirit of His request asks us to remember Him.

Romans 14:5
One man esteemeth one day above another : another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuadedhttp://forums.infjs.com/#fn-descriptionAnchor-a in his own mind.
 
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I get paid extra to work that night, and I get to see all my family!
 
I don't really celebrate easter... however, I like easter egg hunts ^_^ and bunny wabbits :3
 
I was quite surprised (and delighted) to run across a little known service with strong Easter-like overtones that takes place, believe it or not, on the opposite end of the calendar in early October. It is called "the Transitus" and commemorates the passing of St. Francis of Assisi. The service, including the readings, is full of Easter joy, yet also fully embraces the sadness of losing a beloved friend. The intertwining of these realities is especially potent. At the culmination of the service, candles are lit and brought forward to the alter to commemorate those who passed away that year. I have attended this service in a parish setting where families remembered their own loved ones....long after the meals and cards stopped coming. The heartfelt grief of these families, so palpable, was embraced and enfolded within the Easter promise of new life....a truly amazing, awe-inspring, and profoundly comforting nexus.

So, yes, Easter is with us all year round and in our every moment. I think the special times simply allow us to focus and engage our finite minds and hearts with mysteries that are truly enormous, infinitely rich, and all encompassing.
 
Wait, it's Easter?
I always forget it's easter because I have my birthday shortly after.
 
I've never really understood the relationship between the easter rabbit, the eggs and the death of Jesus Christ.
 
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