More Easter -- and no April Fooling!

Happy Easter for Seven More Weeks!

I always thought Christians had an advantage in celebrating Easter for another seven Sundays after Easter Sunday. And not just because the Easter candy is reduced in price at Walgreens and Target!
The real sweetness comes from realizing that the dramatic message of the resurrection has meaning not only for Jesus but for the followers of Jesus. So, we are not quite ready to let the wonder of Easter go. In the Sunday readings we discover the power of Easter in the early church, and we can discover the Easter power in our own lives. And not just because we too will be resurrected in the future. But right now, the power of Easter can promise hope, a hope greater than the oncoming Spring. God can raise our vision to see possibilities where we might see only dead-ends or tombs. It is interesting that Luke’s Gospel continues after the resurrection account with the risen Christ offering peace and blessing to his followers, and in their joy those first followers gathered together for worship. We still can gather for worship. We can still know greater joy because of the resurrection. We still receive blessings in this world from the risen Christ. We can know peace in a sometimes frantic world because of the resurrected Jesus.
So I invite you to worship. I invite you to consider blessings that are blooming in your lives. I invite you to know peace. I invite you to continue to share the joy of the Easter message.