Easter is a celebration of the time Jesus spent with his disciples after his resurrection, but before his Ascension, and ends with the fulfilment of Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit to us. Scripture tells us he was with them 40 days, and then 10 days later, the Spirit descended on Pentecost.
Seasonal Disciplines
Eastertide is a season of celebration and joy. Consider how you might add some disciplines to your life that draw you into joy, gladness, life, and thankfulness. Below are but 3 ideas. There are undoubtedly others. Whatever gladdens your heart in Christ is a valiant addition to this season.
Gratitude
“The free gift of God is eternal life with Christ Jesus out Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
The Grace of God should inspire gratitude in our hearts.
- Consider picking up a discipline of regularly pausing and reflecting on things for which you are grateful. This could be daily or weekly. Perhaps you will start with weekly and gradually pause more frequently. If you eat with others, take time to share one thing you are grateful for from that day.
Feasting
“The wedding attendants cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they?” (Matthew 9:15)
Just as Sundays are feast days in Lent because they are days spent with the Bridegroom, every day of Easter is a day of feasting as we celebrate that Jesus is with us.
- Consider adding elements of feasting to your Eastertide. Eat good food. Eat with others. Praise God for everything you eat, for it comes from his table!
Forgiveness
“For if you forgive others their debts, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your debts.” (Matthew 6:14-15)
The forgiveness which we have received should inspire us to forgive others—from sin, from debt, and from grudges.
- Consider picking up the habit of asking God to reveal to you the things which you are holding onto, and asking God to help you release them. If you are able, consider talking to the person you are forgiving to reconcile that together you may rejoice in mended relationship.
Resources:
Travel Companion
The Church year is a cyclical journey with God. We put together travel companions for the different seasons of the year, to help you make the most of them!
Sermons
Every week, we post the sermon from the previous Sunday to the worship page of our website. You can find every sermon from the season by clicking the Sermons image.
External Resources
Easter: The Season of the Resurrection of Jesus by Wesley Hill
Easter Sunday is the holiest day of the year, a day when even those who don’t usually observe the Christian calendar or attend liturgical churches greet each other with the proclamation “Christ is risen!”
But Easter is more than a day―it’s a season even longer than Lent. In fact, for the Christian who has died with Christ and been brought to life in him, Easter is the new, joyous, and radical way of living. The world is turned upside down. In this short volume, priest and New Testament scholar Wesley Hill explores the history and significance of the season of Easter for the church and for our own spiritual formation.
The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life by Joan Chittister, O.S.B.
What may at first seem to be simply an arbitrary arrangement of ancient holy days, or liturgical seasons, this book explains their essential relationship to one another and their ongoing meaning to us today. It is an excursion into life from the Christian perspective, from the viewpoint of those who set out not only to follow Jesus but to live and think as Jesus did. And it proposes to help us to year after year immerse ourselves into the sense and substance of the Christian life until, eventually, we become what we say we are―followers of Jesus all the way to the heart of God. It is an adventure in human growth; it is an exercise in spiritual ripening.
- Buy it on Amazon, here.