Easter People

God's fingerprints are scattered across all His creation. They seem particularly abundant in springtime, as the world awakes from its winter nap. 

This week, I read a devotional from the United Methodist Church, giving me new ways of looking at the natural spring wonders all around me. It seemed particularly apt this Holy Week. As I read it, I was thinking of photos in my collection that I could gather to illustrate God's creation.

But even as I was writing this on Tuesday, the news was full of warnings. There was "catastrophic" fire danger forecast because of high winds and low humidity. The sky outside was again full of dirt. Later in the day, our area was on a line for potential severe weather, including large hail and possible tornadoes. (The severe weather missed us, but, unfortunately, so did the rain.)

This came just after a beautiful day when the wind was light, the sun was shining and the winter sweatshirt could get tossed aside.

And I realized that's kind of like the rolling emotions of Holy Week. 

I was playing the piano for the actual processional, but I got a "before" photo!

We'd all love the "Hosanna!" of Palm Sunday to last all week, wouldn't we? 

Cute kids, palm branches, big smiles? It's easy to feel the exuberance of the day. 

Even the tree outside the church seemed to be shouting "Hosanna!" on Palm Sunday.

 

It would be easier to just skip the hard stuff, right? That's human nature, after all.

But in the midst of this celebration, I've also been practicing the piano solos I will play for the community Good Friday service, which our church is hosting this year. The haunting minor chords of "What Wondrous Love Is This?" and the mournful melody of "Go to Dark Gethsemane" have quietly drowned out the exuberance of "Hosanna! Loud Hosannas!" which I played for prelude last week.

Not much seems "good" about Good Friday or Maundy Thursday, does it? Those are the days when Christ is betrayed and the dark shadows fall over the earth as the Son of God hangs from a cross, taking on my sins and those of the world. 

 

We know that it is our sins that nailed His hands and feet to the cross. It is we who are responsible for Jesus' suffering.

And yet, we also know the "rest of the story." We know that on Easter Sunday, we will celebrate a much brighter day, a day when Jesus fulfills the prophecy of old, and an angel proclaims:

The only way to see the beauty of a stained glass window
is if light shines through it.

"Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen from the dead."

Matthew 28: 5-6

And because we know the rest of the story, we can look forward to Easter Sunday, even on the dark days of this Holy Week. 

And, so even in the midst of my contemplation of Christ's sacrifice, I can return to the devotional about being an Easter people.

I can see it in the robins.  The robin, a very common bird in the U.S., has a red breast and a legend to explain it. It's said that a gray robin flew to Christ's crown of thorns to draw out a thorn, and when it did, a drop of Christ's blood fell on its breast, leaving a stain forevermore.

I can see it in the bees that spread the pollen and make flowers grow. The honey these creatures create is a biblical symbol of God's favor. The Torah agrees, for it describes God's promised land again and again as "flowing with milk and honey."

 

I can see the promise in flowers.

Long considered a symbol of hope and new life, the daffodil is one of the blooms most often connected to the Resurrection. Tradition says that giving a gift of daffodils will ensure happiness for the receiver. 

Tulips can also represent our Easter story. In the fall, the bulb is buried in the soil. But, come spring, the flower overcomes the darkness and bursts forth with new life. 

The flowering shrub known as the forsythia can also be called the Easter tree: When its spidery branches are moving with the wind, they seem to be arms waving in praise of the season. 

 

According to tradition, forsythia means anticipation—an appropriate companion word for Resurrection.

The traditions that developed around these spring symbols helped explain the concept that God in the flesh took on death and came back to tell us there is life on the other side. The Council at Nicaea in 325 AD gave the Church a revised creed. The last line reads:

 "We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come."

As Easter people, we don't have to look further than spring for an exclamation point to that affirmation. 

Even as I've been practicing the piano solos for Good Friday, I've also been playing my prelude for Easter Sunday morning, "Christ Arose!" It's probably my favorite Easter hymn, beating out "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today." 

Perhaps it's because it starts with the message, "Low in the grave He lay" and ends with the soaring, "He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!" (Too often, pastors don't choose that song. My family know that if it doesn't get sung at the Easter morning worship service, they'll be hearing it in the car on the way home. From the time I was a little girl at Byers Methodist Church, it's been a centerpiece to Easter for me. I was thrilled to see Pastor Kim chose it for this Easter Sunday!)

As we continue to walk our way toward that "Hallelujah!" I pray for eyes to be open to see God's fingerprints in my life and the world around me. 

(The symbol information is from a UMC.org devotional written by Mark Price is Minister of Spiritual Formation and Facilities Manager at Christ United Methodist Church in Franklin, Tennessee).

***

This Easter will be the first to celebrate in person in TWO years, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. And just like finding hope in the midst of darkness, one of my friends, Linda, organized a way to share the Easter message in a non-traditional way through YouTube back in 2020.  I was one of those who provided a video during that time. I combined a vocal solo with some of my photography. I've shared the link below, if you're interested. I'm singing this song for the Good Friday service this week, this time, accompanied by Linda and in person. Thanks be to God!