Now that Easter has passed, many of us have simply moved on, put away the Easter decorations, checked all the plastic eggs for left-behind chocolate, and hope that a brightly colored hard-boiled egg is not still behind the couch – ugh! Sadly, with all the lead-up to Easter (and this year having Spring Break during Holy Week) church-goers can feel the same way. Easter is over, the celebration has ended, life goes on!

But that is not really true. 

If we pay attention to Easter and listen carefully to the scriptures and the story being told, we will realize that the day we call Easter has passed, but the resurrection has just begun! Resurrection is about life – new life! It is about new beginnings – not endings. It is not just another day for the church to remember, put away and get out next year. That is what many thought when Jesus was put in the tomb. They thought it was over. They went back to their old jobs and ways. They missed the point.

Resurrection is time for God’s creation to flourish. This year many are talking about Spring coming early, with trees, tulips, and life in full bloom. God is creating anew out of the death and dying all around us.  The same is true for our lives. The time after Easter should be a time for re-creation. We use the word recreation to talk about getting outside, playing, going camping, taking a hike, walking the beach, etc. What we are doing is allowing the rhythms of Jesus’ Resurrection to come alive in us.

Our bodies are refreshed, our Melatonin levels are raised, a newness of life brings joy to our hearts. This is what the Imago Dei (Image of God) within us does – it causes us to be co-creative beings with our God! Folks, you and I are people of re-creation! That is what we are called to after the resurrection.

The late renowned artist Keith Haring said this about our creativeness,

“When it is working, you completely go into another place, you’re tapping into things that are totally universal, completely beyond your ego and your own self. That’s what it is all about.”

So you may have already put Easter away, but don’t do the same with resurrection. Join God and tap into some needed re-creation this Spring. Allow the rhythms of Jesus’ resurrection to come alive within you while also seeing them all around you. I suspect if we do, we will find more joy, beauty, and peace in our world.

Grace and peace, Pastor Bob+