Are you still celebrating? Are you still singing Alleluia?
Easter Sunday was glorious. We worshiped in Duke Gardens as the dark sky brightened with a new day. We worshiped in Duke Chapel, encouraged to sing boldly by organ and brass. The day was filled with joyous worship, warm smiles, and a beautiful spring weather. Are you still celebrating? I hope so.
The resurrection of Jesus merits an ongoing, exuberant, joyous celebration. The miracle of Easter invites us into a new way of life. After the long-awaited Easter Sunday is past, the temptation may be to fall back into tired routines and familiar patterns. Instead, our Risen Lord calls us forward into a "new normal," one that is marked by faith, hope, and love. No matter how many Easters we have celebrated, we can always seek to deep en our faith, strengthen our hope, and expand our love. The good news is that this is not our work alone, for God invites us into a new realm, a realm in which sin is forgiven and death is conquered. That is reason to rejoice every day!
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (I Peter 1:3)
May the celebration and the alleluias continue for you today and every day.
Carol