Easter 2020

Resurrection of Christ

Easter did not come with a bang or a shout or a parade.

It came quietly in the night while the world slept.

Today Easter usually comes with songs of praise, extra pageantry, and some of the richest liturgical prayers and acclamations found throughout the year. Easter arrives at the end of a long Holy Week where the faithful experience the ups and downs of the first (unknown and unwittingly lived) Holy Week; and it is usually glorious filled with joyful and loud shouts of "Alleluia! Chris is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Alleluia!"

It's the day the Alleluia returns.

But, today, Easter 2020 came not so much with a joyful shout, but with a quiet cry of relief. It came with a cry of faith deeper than usual. The truth of the Resurrection touches the deepest part of our souls and, this year, its timeless truth touched deeper that ever before.

There's a lot of chatter online and in person about the state of the church. And by the church I mean the Western church. Most people on either side of the "cultural war" whether uberprogressive or uberconservative tend to talk about the church as if it doesn't exist outside of the West to the detriment of both sides. I have friends all along the spectrum from progressive to conservative, to various faiths and none, and many of them have chattered about the form of church we have been forced to take part in during this time of pandemic.

From the progressive side some of my friends find the closing of churches in this time as the best thing to happen during this time. For some of my conservative friends they find the closing of churches at the time of a PANDEMIC to be on-par with the persecuted church which (in my opinion) cheapens the terror and horror that our brothers and sisters who are part of the persecuted church outside of the West.*

And, of course, before all this there was the talk about online church within the church itself. A fine line happens during normal healthy times between gathering in person or online. The argument within Christian circles usually is between people who think that being part of an actual church community is unnecessary and those who believe that being part of an actual local church community is necessary and even a part of what makes the church "the church."

I fall into that latter category. And while there are many reasons people have used online churches before now, I would ever argue that most Christians nowadays tend towards believing in being a part of local church community.

But I think this pandemic has put to the forefront online church and, quiet frankly, I think those who believe that people would prefer an online option are finding that, while people are enjoying being able to attend many services through the USA, most people are desperately missing their own local parishes. Which, clearly, should sooth the fears of those who despair that online church will keep people from actually attending.

And for those who believe that if people can't go to church they'll choose to leave the church, rest assured, that many of the faithful will go above and beyond in an attempt to celebrate one of the most holy days in all of Christianity.

I live in Maine. We got an April snow storm on Thursday. The snow was wet and heavy. It was basically cement in snow form. There are people (as I write this at 8:45pm Easter Sunday) who still don't have power.

No power. No internet. Some people have gotten out their grills and melted snow for bath water or to flush their toilets. And today, some people got dressed, bundled their children into their vans and made a trip to the local McDonalds to use their public WiFi in order to join our diocese's Easter livestream from the cathedral. Others rigged up a data hotspot in their home in order to livestream.

We are the people of the Easter hope. We are the people of the Resurrection. Tish Harrison Warren recently wrote, "I am a Christian today not because it answers all my questions about the world or about our current suffering. It does not. And not because I think it is a nice, coherent moral order by which to live my life. And not because I grew up this way or have fond feelings about felt boards and hymn sings. And not because it motivates justice or helps me to know how to vote. I am a Christian because I believe in the Resurrection. If it isn’t true, to hell with it."


It's true that we don't make God. God would still be God with or without our Sunday worship. Families could have stayed in their pajamas and worried more about their power-less homes than traveling a half hour to get a WiFi signal and Jesus Christ will still have risen for the dead.

But the fact remains that in the midst of pain and suffering, in the midst of global panic and catastrophe, Christians have made it their purpose to worship. To pray and attempt to be in community. The deep truth is that Christians aren't going anywhere. Our worship has moved online for now, but that's not going to stop us. It's not going to make our churches disappear. If a local parish folds because of the online move the local parish was most likely going to fold anyway (a sad truth is that many churches are on their way out).

We will find a way through this. We will find a way because the Light of the World guides our paths. He has shone in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome Him. 

So come what may. We are the the people of the Resurrection.  







*The freedom of religion is important for all religions. The persecution of one religion should be alarming to everyone who practices religion. Christianity, however, has been persecuted in some way shape or form since its inception. Christianity in the West is the minority representation of global Christianity. Check out this 2019 report from U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and this BBC article in regards to Christian persecution on a global scale.