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Is Easter Over Already?

  Have you ever had those awkward moments when you weren’t really sure if you were allowed to say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Thanksgiving” yet—or still? Are you allowed to say “Happy New Year” before January 1? Are you allowed to say it on January 2? What about January 3? When do you stop saying “Happy Thanksgiving” and start saying “Merry Christmas”?

  Frankly, it doesn’t matter to me when we say these different greetings. If the first time you see me in the new year is February 14, and you want to say “Happy New Year” to me, please do! I won’t balk at that at all—well, hopefully! Easter, however, is always a tough one for me; I never seem to get to say “Happy Easter” as long as I would like to.

  As a Christian in the Lutheran tradition, along with Christians in most traditions to one degree or another, I get immersed in the annual journey of Lent, a time from mid-winter to spring when Christians focus particularly on our sin and rebellion against God but also on the sacrifice that Jesus Christ paid on our behalf. We talk a lot about how Jesus took on our frail humanity, how he suffered unjust punishment and a torturous death, and how he was even fully separated from God for a short time on our behalf. If we were to greet someone with “Happy Easter” during this time, it would be confusing and out of place. It would seem as odd as saying ...Frohliche Weihnachten” on Cinco de Mayo! We save “Happy Easter” for Easter Day. But then it’s over!

  At St. Lorenz and most Christian churches, our Easter celebrations are big! All the choirs participate. We have musicians galore. The food and decorations are festive, and our hearts rejoice over the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Like the earliest Christians two thousand years ago, we celebrate the most unique and pivotal event in all of human history: Jesus of Nazareth, the who was and is both God and human, came back to life after he died for our sins and is still alive today!

But then it’s over. On Monday, we return to our routines, and it’s over.

  I can’t help but ask myself, “Is Easter over already?” How can the greatest event in human history only get one or two days of greetings?