Easter is not a day but a season. I mean, really, we’re going to give a single Sunday to the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
I think not. There is always someone to give us a little grief about the Church year, perhaps because they know that it is a teaching device that gives the Church an opportunity to go back over what we believe about Jesus Christ and what it means for us as baptized Christians. Every segment of the Church year circles around an important belief of the Church. The table below illustrates what I mean.
| SEASON | DOCTRINE |
| Advent | Judgment and Grace |
| Christmas | Incarnation of God |
| Epiphany | Revelation of Christ |
| Lent | Forgiveness/Ransom |
| Holy Week | Passion of Christ |
| Easter | Resurrection |
| Pentecost | Gift of the Holy Spirit and the Christian Life |
Not everybody remembers their school days fondly, and the Church year may seem a bit too much like school for some of us. But it is also the means by which we follow in Jesus’ footsteps as if we were there in the stable at His birth; or sat on the Mount at the time of His preaching; or ate with Him at the table the night He was betrayed; or wept with His mother at the foot of the cross as He died for us; or, best yet, at the empty tomb or the upper room where He showed the injuries He suffered at His crucifixion and ate broiled fish to prove He was really there in the resurrected flesh, and not some ghost.
This is no dry exercise in theology, but a chance to be present in Word and Spirit with our Lord and Savior as He gave His life for us that He might inspire us, teach us, and save us from sin and death. Therefore, it is my prayer this month for all of us, that we truly celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ with joy for we can see for ourselves that we have been freed from those cruel oppressors sin and death so that we may partake with Christ in His new life.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!
