“You will have to suffer only for a little while: the God of all grace who called you to eternal glory in Christ will restore you, he will confirm, strengthen and support you.” -1 Peter 5:10

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At this time last year, if must have felt like we’d never get passed the pain and sorrow associated with Good Friday, and go on to the joy of Easter, at least not in our everyday lives. When we think of Good Friday, we think of Jesus’ scourging, his pain and suffering on the cross. We think of the immense grief his mother and followers must have felt. Many of us were going though our own pain, bearing our own crosses. Coming at the height of a global pandemic, for many Easter 2020 might have seemed like a weak balm for their sorrows. It was a time of fear and uncertainty. In America, our own government broke its most sacred covenant with its people and stripped the rights of religious freedom from many of us. We had undergone the loss of employment, the ability to be with our friends, and even may have lost loved ones. At this time of year, we celebrate a different covenant, not one with our leaders on Earth, but our Father in Heaven, one which can never be abridged or revoked thanks to his son’s sacrifice on Good Friday. Because of that sacrifice, we can celebrate Easter Sunday.

After a Good Friday year we can at last, celebrate an Easter year, a year of rebirth and renewal. We slowly return to normal, just as the world slowly returns to life in the spring. Imagine being one of those first few witnesses to Christ’s return. The sheer joy they must have felt! This year, with the grace of God, we can witness the return to some sense of normalcy. Just as Jesus’ followers rejoiced at being reunited with their friend and teacher, having (for a short time) lost him, we can look forward the return of being with our friends, relatives and fellow worshipers. This year, we may dare to keep the spirit of Easter in our hearts, long after the official season of Easter has past.

God bless and keep you.

J.P. Mac