There is a common countenance pastors fall into as we approach Easter, and I’m not talking about a thoughtful Lenten discipline of spiritual preparation. It’s the customary response to nearly any request that is not urgent. “Let’s get to that after Easter,” we say.
It’s how we talk about meeting up with a friend for a cup of coffee, planning an upcoming event, or getting to something that has already been on the to-do list for a while. On the one hand, it’s a pastoral way of saying, I am really focused on all the things that happen during our upcoming Holy Week. On the other hand, it can be simply a delay tactic without much holiness attached. When Easter comes in late April, many wonderful occasions get placed on the “Let’s get to that after Easter” list, with less time to fit them in before summer.
This year, the whole BMPC Eastertide calendar is packed with the celebrations of key transitions. Here’s the quick rundown of Sunday worship alone. This week’s Ordination and Installation of Elders and Deacons, followed by a May 4 Hymn Festival during the 10 am worship service, with the Step-Up celebration for fifth graders receiving their hymnals and prayers for high school seniors. On Mother’s Day, we’ll welcome a large class of new members, and the following Sunday, we’ll celebrate Confirmation.
Kate Bowler has described Eastertide as “a whole season meant to be a kind of slow unfolding. Not a sprint. Not a spiritual glow-up. Just the long, meandering walk toward whatever comes next.” What a joy it is to take that walk by marking these special moments: the Ordination of new lay leaders, children growing up into youth ministry, graduations, new members, and Confirmation.
Easter may have come and gone, but Eastertide leads us forward in celebration of all the good things that come next for us disciples of the Risen Christ.
