Christians are in the season of Eastertide, the time between Easter and Pentecost. We celebrated the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday. And, we will celebrate the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church on Pentecost Sunday.
Eastertide is the 50 days between these two significant Sundays.Each Sunday after Easter is celebrated as a Sunday of Easter until Pentecost. We celebrate each of these seven Sundays as one joyful feast, often referred to as “the great Lord’s Day.”
Jesus remains on Earth for 40 days after his resurrection. He first appears to Mary Magdalene.
On the same day, Jesus appears to two men on a road to Emmaus. The two men backtrack to Jerusalem and tell the disciples about Jesus. As the men speak, Jesus appears and explains his death and resurrection fulfill the scriptures.
A week later, Jesus appears in a locked room so Thomas may feel the crucifixion wounds. Jesus appears to more than 500 people during the 40 days after his resurrection.
Jesus appears before the disciples in Galilee when they are fishing. Also in Galilee, the disciples gather on a mountain where Jesus tells them to go.
On this mountain, thought to be where Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives the commandment to make disciples of all nations, referred to as the Great Commission.
Jesus tells the disciples he is leaving but will return one day to establish on Earth as it is in Heaven. Jesus also says to wait in Jerusalem until the power of the Holy Spirit comes.
The disciples witness Jesus ascend into Heaven. We recognize this event as the Ascension of the Lord on the 40th day of Eastertide, a Thursday.
The disciples experience the Holy Spirit as they pray in an upper room, thought to be where they celebrated the last Passover with Jesus. The Holy Spirit comes on the first day of the Jewish holiday Shavuot, an agriculture festival 50 days after Passover.
We celebrate this day as Pentecost Sunday 10 days after the Ascension of the Lord. Pentecost season continues until Advent, 22 to 27 weeks later depending on when Easter falls.
The liturgical calendar reflecting these Biblical events is comforting, particularly this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Our worship certainly looks different with social distancing. Yet, our beliefs grow deeper given the heightened awareness of the fragility of our own humanity.
No doubt, Jews found Passover more poignant in April and will have a similar reaction at the end of May to Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, commemorating the revealing of the Torah on Mt. Sinai.
Most likely, Muslims currently are participating in Ramadan with a deeper appreciation and will do the same when celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the Festival of Fast Breaking, this month.
Our religious beliefs and celebrations ground us in the here and now, as well as in the past and the future. We draw comfort for today as we believe and celebrate as those who came before us believed and celebrated. And, we draw strength for today as we pass on our beliefs and celebrations to those who are our future. Amen.
