“We are an Easter People.” At least that’s what Pope John Paul II proclaimed in 1986. (And I’m going to go ahead and say that’s true of all Christians, not just Catholics.) What does that mean though? That we should never lament? That we should always be happy? Actually, John Paul II proclaimed that statement in the raw, bare, not-yet-sparkly-with-snow month of November. And he said, “We do not pretend that life is all beauty. We are aware of darkness and sin, of poverty and pain.” I don’t know about you, but I find that comforting. He didn’t say there was no reason to lament or rage. To be an Easter People affirms that our trying experiences are real, not to pretend to be blind to them. It’s to prepare for authentic healing, not cover up and hide away. John Paul II said further, “We are not looking for a shallow joy but rather a joy that comes from faith, that grows through unselfish love, that respects the fundamental duty of love of neighbor, without which it would be unbecoming to speak of Joy.” Easter joy does not come from consumerism or individual comfort. It comes from living fully in a world of woe and still believing in, working towards, liberating peace and justice for all.

 

Every week during worship at CHCC we share concerns for loved ones and for the world, AND we celebrate our joys, both personal and communal. Somehow, as a community, we hold both, we affirm both. Our joys do not cancel out our concerns, neither do our concerns overshadow our joys. And community is the key in holding such tricky ambiguity. There is no such thing as “an Easter person.” But I see an Easter People when our deacons lovingly prepare communion in a world that would rather worship wealth than a dead and risen Christ; when our choir sings of God’s love in a world that stokes hate; when our hall is used by AA and the food kitchen and fellowship in a world that glorifies individualism. If you’re mostly full of lament or outrage right now, it’s not that you’re doing Easter wrong. But my hope is that you can turn to your neighbor and share a simple (not shallow!) joy. That our shared sorrows connect us to each other and our shared joys help hold each other up. That we remember that even if we’re not feeling particularly Eastery, we are part of an Easter People. And there is hope in that.