Happy Eastertide! I hope you all had a wonderful celebration of our Lord and Savior this past Sunday. This Easter season is a season full of hope and new life. Easter came early this year, and all the spring flowers have not yet bloomed, but they will soon be in full bloom.
Easter celebrations last more than a day. Many Christians celebrate the entire season as Eastertide. This church season lasts from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Day (May 19th this year). During Easter, we constantly remember the resurrected Jesus Christ and the events that took place between Jesus and his disciples after he rose from the dead.
All these events are full of hope and change. All record that Jesus, both before and after his resurrection, sent out his disciples into the world to spread the message he taught. The disciples were sent throughout the world to preach the gospel and let everyone know that they were God’s beloved children. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” ” it says.
This is good news worth sharing with you. Some may not listen to this good news or may not believe it, but those who follow Christ are willing to accept this message without worrying about whether it will take root in the hearts of those with whom they share it. We are asked to spread the word. I don’t think this means we should pester people with the gospel, but if we have the chance, we should be willing to talk about why we believe and what the message of Christ means to us.
Rev. Lori Carr, Episcopal Church West Branch Missionary
Eastertide is a time of the church year when we are strengthened for this work. The most important part of Christ’s message is to love God with all you have and to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31). This is called the Great Precept. The Great Precepts also require us to thoroughly respect the dignity of all human beings. This sounds simple, but it’s something we all need to work on, especially with people who are different from us.
May this Easter remind us all how much we are loved by God, and may He give us the strength and courage to share that love with others.
