Jesus Is Risen: Now what?
Happy Easter! Now that the organ has cooled off, the incense died down and the horns from ‘Thomas Sunday’ have stopped blaring - you might be asking yourself ‘Okay, now what?’ Jesus Died. He rose again. So... now what? What does it mean for us?
Do we just go back to the way church always was? To the way life always was?
After all this does happen every year. What exactly is the Church supposed to do AFTER Easter? Where do we go from here.
In the grand theological history of the Church, we would hope that each Easter brings with it a renewed focus on telling Jesus’ story, and inspiring a sense of resurrection and hope, that in turn produces new programs, efforts, ministries, and yes, even new believers. The season of Easter, which ends with Pentecost Sunday, is a time of rebirth. It is why we read through the Book of Acts and remind ourselves of the birth of the Church, and work to find rebirth in our own communities. Which is why it is perfect this happens in spring when the world around us is being born anew. That would, of course, make more sense if spring would ever actually get here. But even so - the fifty days of Easter are a time to make resurrection a reality in the Church and in the world.
With an eye towards Easter and our own resurrection stories here at Memorial, the vestry has been discussing how our community might experience resurrection and rebirth. We have felt the energy of new members, a renewed interest in social justice efforts, continued upgrades to the physical plant, and a worship experience that is restorative and energizing. During our vestry retreat we focused on how our community can create a more open and welcoming culture for prospective members and neighbors, and on who exactly our neighbors are.
I hope you can join us this Sunday following the 8:00 am and the 10:30 am services to hear more about the Retreat and the ‘Now What’ from our Vestry - and to hear how you can be involved in a little bit of rebirth at Memorial in the coming year.
See you in Church!