Dear Rose Park,
Easter has come and gone. Lilies have been ordered, received, and taken home. Chocolate bunnies are now on clearance. Our Easter pastels have been relegated back into the closet and now we’re left with the question: what do we do now?
Naturally, our eyes will look to the next thing. We’ll start thinking about Tulip Time and Memorial Day Weekend. Perhaps we’ve already made summer plans and if you have children then in all likelihood you’ve already signed them up for one or two summer camps or programs. It is our human nature to always be looking to the next thing. Hear clearly, I enjoy making plans and being prepared but when we spend so much time thinking about the next thing we fail to enjoy the process of the current thing.
I’ve noticed this in my own personal life. As many of you know, I enjoy running, biking and swimming; currently, I’m training for an Ironman race in Madison, WI in September. Throughout this training I’ve had to reconsider the importance of the process rather than the outcome. Meaning, I want to enjoy the process of training rather than merely enjoying the outcome of the race. You might ask, why? First, because the process is much longer than the outcome and I’d like to enjoy as much as I can. Second, when we put so much emphasis on the outcome more often than not when all is said and done we are left with that unsatisfied feeling asking ourselves, now what do I do?
Sometimes, I worry we treat the rhythms of the Church this way; specifically, we’ve twisted Easter into an outcome, a result, or even a finish line and now we’re left unsatisfied and confused about what to do next. Instead, I’d like to echo Ava Lemire, and remind each other that we can celebrate the joys of resurrection and the promise of the Easter story today, tomorrow, and forevermore. Easter isn’t a finish line; it’s a process in which we live every day. So, wave the palm branches, shout Hosanna, and declare again He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
Grace & Peace,
