N.T. Wright, in his book, Surprised by Hope, says that if you were to take away what is written about the birth of Jesus, you would lose a few chapters in the front of the Gospels, but if you take away what is written about the resurrection, you’d lose the whole New Testament. I’m really enjoying this book, and today I got a real kick out of one thing he said. He was being critical about how we celebrate Easter. After fasting for 40 days, he speaks of how lame (my word not his) we are when it comes to celebrating the resurrection. We spend one day celebrating the resurrection and then it all fizzles away during the Easter (liturgical) time. Easter Monday isn’t really celebrated and it becomes less and less after that.
Is it any wonder people find it hard to believe in the resurrection of Jesus if we don’t throw our hats in the air? Is it any wonder we find it hard to live the resurrection if we don’t do it exuberantly in our liturgies? Is it any wonder the world doesn’t take much notice if Easter is celebrated as simply the one-day happy ending tacked on to forty days of fasting and gloom?”
It’s all but forgotten from Easter Sunday until next year. He remarks that it should, at the very least be an 8 day festival where morning prayer is preceded by Champagne! I love it. I read that this morning and I couldn’t help but smile in agreement. I also smiled at the idea of many of my Christian friends puckering at this notion. What? A toast to the Resurrection with an adult beverage? Uh, yeah.
Well, in the Anglican tradition we celebrate Eastertide right up to Pentecost! And of course you could say that even during Lent and Passiontide, we are celebrating Easter; our principal services are always on the day of Resurrection, and the Eucharist itself is both a memorial of Christ's death, a re-presentation of His Sacrifice, and a foretaste of our own resurrection and participation in the heavenly banquet.
ReplyDeleteBishop Wright's a solid fellow, outside of his approval of women's ordination... :) It's good to have voices for sanity still within the Anglican Communion!
I may have to take Wright up on his offer. I'm a big fan of mimosas. Since it contains champagne and OJ, I think it qualifies as a good morning cocktail.
ReplyDeleteMy only issue is the Monday after Easter I'm on my way to work. Something tells me drinking before work probably isn't the best idea...although I'm sure it takes away the Mondays.