Easter Day remains a collection of moments. My day began by arriving at the Park where our Sunrise service is held. A big full moon was hanging in the western sky while the first beams of sunlight were brightening the eastern sky. The men were already there with a coffee pot ready, sausages were on the barbeque and the scrambled eggs were cooking. Soon a crowd of 80 or so gathered and we broke the morning silence with “Christ is Risen. He is Risen indeed”. The sun came up in full glory as we sang “Morning Has Broken” After the service 65 of us chowed down on the hot cross buns made once again this year by the Wood family. The Olde Tyme Gospel Band played as we ate and the breakfast felt both festive and joyous.
Then it was back to the church. The sanctuary was festooned with multi-coloured flowers heralding the assurance “In the bulb there is a flower”. The choir outdid themselves and the hand bell choir rang in the celebration of Easter. The hymns were sung with enthusiasm. The children jumped with excitement – no doubt aided by the consumption of early morning Easter eggs!
My day finished with a lovely family dinner and visit with a granddaughter we see not often enough because she lives in Calgary and was, thankfully, visiting Ontario for the weekend.
What do these Easter moments mean to me two days later as we live into the Easter season? They mean community, they mean music to lift the soul, they mean the reality of Jesus in the breaking of bread. Easter is about God coming into life in such a profound way that life is never the same again. Easter is about the sun chasing away the darkness. Easter is about joy breaking through grief. Easter is about love. Yes, that is what the moments of Easter really mean to me. They mean love. Love of God, love of neighbour, love of the Christ, love of life. Hallelujah!
