It is the most important celebration in the Church year. It is that Day when we pull out all stops to celebrate: we decorate the communion table with lilies, azaleas, and other plants; we await the sound of the trumpet; the choir and the congregation sing the hymns of Resurrection; we look for a sanctuary full or close to it; individuals are in a festive mood; the preacher ready to declare the Good News; the spirit of aliveness is in the air!
Yes, it is Easter once again. We celebrate this Day with our Christian brothers and sisters in every land, across every denomination, and we ask all of creation to celebrate with us. We wish to let the whole world know in one triumphant affirmation:
Christos anesti - alathos anesti, Christ is risen - risen indeed!
Yes, together we celebrate. Let's make it even extra special this year.
It is so easy to let an every year occurrence become simply a ritual we go through, lacking the initial joy and spirit with which it was first marked. We celebrate our birthdays every year but unless it is a special one (turning 30, 40, 50 etc) they are pretty routine. Not long ago I had dinner with a married couple. I asked them when their wedding anniversary is, and the husband (wouldn't you know it!) could remember neither the date nor the number of the upcoming anniversary. A gentleman at the coffee shop asked me the other day, “When is Easter this year?” I told him, and he said he really should buy something for the children.
Maybe it is only the commercial aspect of Easter that keeps us on our toes. I was amazed to discover in my web site search today that there are 1485 sites under “Easter”. A couple drew attention to Easter Island and a few drew attention to the history of Easter celebrations in various countries. Most, however, were websites for commercial ventures that could offer everything from special greeting cards to unusual gifts. Has Easter lost its religious spiritual- significance for us? Will we simply go through the motions once again even as church people? Will it be simply a matter of “I have to remember to bring a plant to church that Sunday,” or “we need to decide whether I should cook a special dinner or go out to eat”, or “I wonder if I should buy a new suit (or dress, or hat, or a pair of shoes, etc.)”
Does not the world long for a message that is more life giving then that? What would it take to regain the enthusiasm of those original followers of Jesus who turned the world upside down with their proclamation: “He lives! He lives!”
So let this Pastor's Corner be an invitation to participate once again in Easter Sunday Worship at 10:00 am. Let is be an invitation to celebrate the greatest affirmation of our Christian Faith: He lives! He lives in me and through me. May it be a time when the whole world sees Christ alive in his new body the Church, alive for evermore! Amen.
When I moved to Suffolk County, twenty years ago, attending church was not uppermost on my mind. I happened to drive past Old South Haven Presbyterian Church. The church perched on a hill caught my attention. It brought to mind my childhood church perched on another hill. As I passed, I thought that someday I might stop. Though not an immediate occurrence, I did eventually attend. Due to the congregation's welcome, those tentative first steps lead me to church membership.
After joining, I became involved in the life of the church (i.e. teaching and serving on session) and friendships developed. Due to my willful and foolish choices, I found myself in a difficult and untenable situation. In my state of confusion, Old South Haven members rallied round and helped me through it. The love and charity they evinced enabled me to return to a place I had not known I had left. In the process, a faith that had been tentative, at best, began to grow. Though, certainly, gratitude for the kindness shown me is part of it, I think the lion's share comes from an awareness that God's spirit was working through good people. So, my burgeoning faith evolved (very slowly) through place (Old South Haven), people (wonderful members) and God's love as expressed through His people.
A Fluid Religious Life for Us Americans
The February 26 edition of the New York Times contained an article by Neela Banerjee which indicated that more than a quarter of adult Americans have left the faith of their childhood to join another religion or no religion (The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life). If we include shifts within the various Protestant denominations then it appears that 44 percent of Americans have switched religious affiliations. The Roman Catholic Church “has experienced the greatest losses as a result of affiliation changes”. Groups that have gained the most are nondenominational churches which are largely evangelical and in many cases megachurches. “The trend is towards more personal religion and evangelicals offer that,” said Professor Stephen Prothero, Chairman of the Religion Department at Boston University. He indicated further that evangelical churches tailored much of their activities toward youth.
It would be interesting to poll our Congregation to see how many have been Presbyterian all their life, or even Protestant all their life.
