After Easter Sunday, the Easter “Season” is not quite over, not by a longshot! In the Christian Church, what follows the story of the Passion of Christ is the time that the returned Christ walked among his followers until ascending into heaven, to sit at the right hand of God, as the Nicene Creed says. Traditionally this is a 50-Day celebration lasting from Easter (Resurrection) Sunday until Pentecost.
So? What does it mean?
For those 50 days, we get to celebrate with great Alleluias that Christ walks with us, not just reigning from above. For this time, we seek to be “with” Christ and all that he taught us to be, not just emulators, students, wanna-be’s and fakirs. We remember that He is with us, and in us, and around us, and we seek to go beyond being “good” on to being “great!”
With Christ among us, we stand up, we rise in his presence.
Traditionally for the Easter season, we do not kneel for the prayers of communion but instead we stand, together in the company of the risen Christ. We take to our feet to celebrate the great love and compassion this man had.
We stand to state our claim in the Great Commission that the Risen Christ taught to his followers: to go out and teach His word to all the world. These are the days when we stand and claim and proclaim the promise made at our baptism:
Celibrant: Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
People: I will, with God’s help.
Celibrant: Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
People: I will, with God’s help.
50 days of forgetting to ask “What Would Jesus Do?” because he is among us now, and we are to be – each minute and each day – what Jesus would do.
In terms of the simplicity of faith: looking beyond the traditions and all the rubrics of sitting, standing and kneeling, the big take-away for us is: Jesus (and thereby God) cared. He cared enough to come back… spend some time with his buds and teach them some really cool stuff before leaving us to go on to heaven.
He took the time – He cared. Do we?
As we remember these days that even after death, Jesus walked among us for a short while, think about the thought of just wanting to come back and be with his buds: just to pass along one more last thing. How perspectives do change when we ignore the hate-sayers who tell us lies about what God doesn’t like… what Jesus hates … whatever they can say to pass along their particular non-Christian tradition.
Anything that does not agree with “respecting the rights and dignity of every human being” is indeed non-Christian!
I remember an old hymn from my early days in the Baptist church. My favorite song about what a Bud we can consider Jesus to be. Master. Savior. Lord. Friend.
I love the simplicity of the lyrics of “Jesus is All the World to Me” which nails the message so perfectly in refrain of the first verse: “…when I am sad, he makes me glad! He’s my friend.”
Stand up. Claim and proclaim.
Keep the faith!
- Amen
Jesus is All The World to Me Lyrics
Scripture reference: Colossians 3:11
Jesus is all the world to me, My life, my joy, my all; He is my strength from day to day, Without Him I would fall. When I am sad, to Him I go, No other one can cheer me so; When I am sad, He makes me glad, He’s my Friend.
Jesus is all the world to me, My Friend in trials sore; I go to Him for blessings, and He gives them o’er and o’er. He sends the sunshine and the rain, He sends the harvest’s golden grain; Sunshine and rain, harvest of grain, He’s my Friend.
Jesus is all the world to me, And true to Him I’ll be; Oh, how could I this Friend deny, When He’s so true to me? Following Him I know I’m right, He watches o’er me day and night; Following Him by day and night, He’s my Friend.
Jesus is all the world to me, I want no better Friend; I trust Him now, I’ll trust Him when Life’s fleeting days shall end. Beautiful life with such a Friend, Beautiful life that has no end; Eternal life, eternal joy, He’s my Friend.
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
Lyrics
What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer! Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!
Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged— Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful, Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy-laden, Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge— Take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms He’ll take and shield thee, Thou wilt find a solace there.
Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear; May we ever, Lord, be bringing All to Thee in earnest prayer. Soon in glory bright, unclouded, There will be no need for prayer— Rapture, praise, and endless worship Will be our sweet portion there.
Tags: Christians, compassion
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