“A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”.” – John 20:26 NIV
Americans are great at anticipation but lousy at celebrating. We spend weeks (months?) getting ready for Christmas, but on the 26th we are done with it. No 12 days of Christmas for us. We’ve been there. Done that. And are ready to move on. Same with March Madness. Do you even remember who won this year? Or the Super Bowl? By the day after, all the talk is about the next year or the draft.
We just celebrated Easter, the greatest news ever. But are you still celebrating? Or have you been there, done that, and are ready to move on? The church sets aside 50 days to celebrate Easter (ending on Pentecost, which is May 24 this year). More than that, every Sunday is considered a little Easter – a time to celebrate the Resurrection. Seasons change, but the celebration goes on.
On April 12 and 19, we will be celebrating confirmation for some of our students. At one time many families looked at this as “graduation” from church. Get confirmed and then you don’t have to go to church anymore. Celebrate confirmation and then move on. Been there. Done that. But confirmation is actually the beginning of a lifetime of walking with Jesus. It’s a beginning, not the end. We even have a class of adults right now taking (or retaking) the same confirmation curriculum the youth used, because the journey of following Jesus never ends.
So, Happy Easter. May you celebrate each day your Risen Savior.
Pastor Mark