This year when Lent began, we had expectations of how the season would go. We’d give up our chocolate or soft drinks and spend a little bit more time reading our Bibles and praying. During Holy Week, we’d wave palms and shout “hosanna,” wash one another’s feet on Thursday, hear the story of Jesus dying on the cross on Friday, then gather together on Easter Sunday to celebrate the empty tomb and our risen Savior.

However, Holy Week became really different really fast. Suddenly we had to give up more than soda; we sacrificed our routine and sense of normalcy to protect our neighbors. Adults have wrestled with technology while teens have struggled with balancing responsibility and escapism in their online habits. The loss of normalcy has brought uncertainty and loss. Canceled graduations, proms, sports meets, vacations and mission trips scratch only the surface for those whose families have also lost income or stability. What we have known as normal has died.

Grieving during Eastertide

The season of Eastertide runs from Easter Sunday to Pentecost, observed on May 31 this year, and is typically a time of celebration. While there are still worthy celebrations this Eastertide, it may be more difficult knowing that even by the end of the season life still may not be back to normal. So what do we do with our grief and our sadness during a season typically marked by celebration?

Death and Resurrection

Easter is one of the most significant moments in the Christian faith. Jesus, fully divine and fully human, died a real death and was buried in a real tomb — but he didn’t stay there for long. The good news of the gospel is this: God is more powerful than all things, even the ultimate physical distancing measure of death. The God we worship is all about making new things out of dust, like a phoenix rising from its ashes. While this is good news for our future, the reality can feel really dim. Scripture tells us the stories of many people, including Jesus, who encountered death and grief.

Question of the day: How are you honest with God?
Focal scriptures: Job 7:1-12; John 11:1-45; Luke 24:13-35

For a complete lesson on this topic visit LinC.