One of the best observations I’ve ever heard in relation to the Easter season came when Denny Gross recently announced at the end of a service at Zion, “We do this every week.”

That was a simple, yet profound thought, intended to be both welcoming and prodding. It is a reminder that festivals such as Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday are uplifting and inspiring, but the church year does not end with Easter. In fact, the Easter season does not even end with Easter!

One of the issues we face individually and collectively in any congregation is how to sustain the momentum generated by Easter. Pastor Steve used a good phrase the following Sunday, framing how “Resurrection People” should go forward from Easter.

The proper response, it seems to me, is to think of all six Sundays until Pentecost as its own version of Easter. Maybe the lilies have wilted and the brass quartet is missing and there’s no breakfast being served downstairs, but Easter can and should live on. It’s our annual challenge to make that happen within us.
-Kurt Kragthorpe