By Rev. Christian Schmidt
Easter is one of our favorite times of year in my house. We like to have the egg hunt for the kids, people over, have a big meal. This year, as we keep saying over and over and over, will be different.
We’ve been working with the other families on our street to have a safe, socially-distanced and masked, egg hunt in our yards. We will have some people over, but just my wife’s parents, who have already received their Covid-19 vaccinations.
But still, I’m feeling some of the Easter spirit. As Darbi Lockridge lifted up in a recent RE session, this time of year is full of festivals and holidays celebrating the return of the sun, the blooming and blossoming of flowers, the growth of plants, and the feeling that life is just springing up everywhere.
Easter, the holiday in the Christian tradition, has a somewhat more complicated take, but it does include that sense of life bursting forth once again. It’s complicated since it involves the death of Jesus first, but even in that we can learn lessons. Jesus stood up for people, and against an empire that dehumanized them. In many ways and with various levels of commitment, we’re called to do the same thing: to promote the flourishing of life and to work against oppression and dehumanization.
Whatever holidays you celebrate in this time of year, I hope you feel a sense of life springing forth all around you and in your own bodies. Go outside, enjoy the warmer weather and all the great things about spring.
In faith,
Rev. Christian