Lent is over.  We have sung our Easter hymns, celebrated the risen Christ, and heard the story once again about out God conquered death.  Easter Day has come and gone.   I often wish that Easter was not in the Spring time but rather in the Summer.  It was only four months ago that we celebrated the birth of Christ and now Good Friday where he has died and Easter when he was resurrected.

For some people Easter is the highlight of Christian calendar.  Jesus Christ has come and has lived and was unjustly killed, but through the miraculous power of God humanity has seen what God can do.

So now what?  What do we do now?  What are followers of Christ to do in the interim between Easter and Christmas (the next High Holy Day in the Christian calendar)?  In most churches during the summer attendance is lower due the busy summer months.  Families go on vacations, grandparents go to visit children and grandchildren and our calendars begin to fill up with picnics and gatherings.

Since the Christian calendar is defined so much by Christmas and Easter what are we to do this in between time?  The story of God does not stop because Christians do not have a reason to party and exchange gifts.  The message of the gospel does not continue to serve as a model of love and forgiveness for humanity because we are busy with other activities.  By muting the story of God to just Christmas and Easter, we greatly restrict the story of how God moved in the lives of people for centuries.  The gospels writers took those experiences and put pen to paper for all of humanity to have.   They did not limit the story of Christ in the world to his birth (which only two gospels even mention) and his death.  Most of the New Testament is about how the followers of Christ responded to the teachings of Christ after his resurrection.   If we believe that God is continuing to world in our lives then we have to tell the story.

How can we continue telling the story? How do we continue to tell people that Christ is risen?   It doesn’t have to be standing in front of a group of people and reiterating how God has moved in your life.  Telling the story doesn’t have to even use words.  One’s actions can serve to tell the tale of impact that God has had on one’s life.

Whether it is through service to others, care for a loved one, making a phone call to someone in need, all of these actions (and many more) reflect the message that Christ is alive in the world today and we have been transformed because of it.

Let’s not wait until Christmas to feel the presence of God and to share God’s love with everyone.

In Christ,

Rev. Evan