Today in our church calendar is "Wednesday in Easter Week." Easter Sunday is only the beginning of our celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every Sunday is a celebration of his resurrection, and even in Lent every Sunday is a "Little Easter." There is so much to take in that the Church celebrates Easter for The Great Fifty Days. The fiftieth day is Pentecost, on which we celebrate the birthday of the Church by the descent of the Holy Spirit on 120 people gathered in the Upper Room. On that day, those 120 burst into their world to proclaim the Good News of Christ in the languages of their hearers.
Our continuous celebration of Easter gives opportunities for more hymns and prayers, such as this one by George R. Woodward (1848-1934) found in The Hymnal 1982, No. 192:
This joyful Eastertide,
away with sin and sorrow!
My Love, the Crucified,
has sprung to life this morrow.
Death's flood has lost its chill,
since Jesus crossed the river:
Lord of all life, from ill
my passing life deliver.
My flesh in hope shall rest,
and for a season slumber,
till trump from east to west
shall wake the dead in number.
Had Christ, that once was slain,
ne'er burst his three-day prison,
our faith had been in vain;
but now is Christ arisen,
arisen, arisen, arisen.
We also have a prayer for Wednesday in Easter Week:
O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, 223)
I wish you a wonderful Great Fifty Days of Easter.
Pastor Linda
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Founding Pastor
The Episcopal Church of Our Savior at Honey Creek
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