Early and Cold Easter - even a little snow tomorrow!

This year, the Holy day of Easter occurs on the second earliest date possible. In fact, Easter will not be celebrated this early again until the year 2228, or 220 years from now. Only our congregation members who are 95 or older have experienced Easter as early as March 23.Early Easters are typically chilly affairs for those of us in the Northern latitudes. Some sunrise services will remind participants of the connection between the physical elements of Creation and God’s incredible intervention in the Resurrection. Easter celebrations in the warmth and beauty of churches remind us of the symbolism so frequently associated with this event. The altars and platforms of some of our sanctuaries will be lined with Easter lilies. For some worshipers, the trip to church this Sunday morning may even include the sighting of daffodils, the harbingers of spring.In reality, the early spring chill will serve to remind us that the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus really occurred far from the pleasant confines of warm churches filled with smiling people. Jesus’ entire ministry was on the margins. Within the temple perimeter, he ruthlessly engaged those who had turned the Father’s house into a marketplace. In the Synagogue, His teachings often challenged the conventional wisdom of the participants. It was out on the mountainside where people heard Him gladly. It was in the middle of a storm-tossed lake that men realized He was the Master. It was alone in the darkness of night in an olive grove that He accepted His fate with submission to His Father’s will. It was on a wind-swept hill that He offered Himself as our eternal sacrifice.The first Easter morning may have been tinged by the chill of night, as early, before the sunrise, Mary Magdalene went alone to the tomb, only to see the evidence of His resurrection. May this Sunday remind us all of the cost of His life, ministry, and sacrifice as we greet the dawn of an early Easter. May it also remind us of His triumph and eternal victory so graciously shared with us as well!
David J. Felter, NCN News and Holiness Today senior editor