Back in the day (Was that only two months ago?), the day after Easter typically marked the return to work and to school. Easter speeches were trashed; the last of the jelly beans hidden in the grass of Easter baskets eaten before the baskets were stored away. 50% markdowns on everything Easter greeted shoppers, and of course white shoes were approved to grace feet tired of winter’s dark and dreary tones. Another Holy Week and Resurrection Sunday secured in our mental memory bank, waiting to be retrieved the following year. Secular and sacred life returned to their normal routines.
Today, we recall those times with longing. We have learned how quickly the norms of our existence can change; how things we took for granted can be snatched away, leaving us confused and off kilter. Many began this day after Easter, not leaving for work, but settling in to work from home (And they’re the fortunate ones; many of their fellow countrymen and women have not the luxury, or have lost their jobs altogether). There was no mad dash to get the kids to school on time; school is closed for the balance of the school year. The 50% markdowns have been in effect for weeks as retail stores struggle to keep their businesses afloat in an economy whose premier products are toilet paper, Lysol spray and hand sanitizer. And white shoes have yet to grace anyone’s feet as the footwear of the day for most is slippers or flip flops or socks. No need to dress; nobody is going anywhere.
This day after Easter 2020 finds us with a different focus. Though we keep our eyes peeled on the screen coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic’s continuing onslaught, we have also been drawn because of this unprecedented experience to less secular pursuits or concerns. Forced isolation in our homes, social distancing and the closure of most of the places we usually people focuses us inward and outward. Quietness and stillness give us opportunities we miss when consumed by the frantic pace of life we knew as normal; we embrace the time to phone and text family and friends; to reach out to those who are alone. More than ever we appreciate technology that allows video visitations of loved ones in nursing homes, virtual lessons and facetime hangouts with besties. And when we give our smartphones and tablets a break, we’re rediscovering the printed word. And most especially for Christian believers, we’ve moved the Bible from bookcase occupant to bedside companion whose written words have always given comfort and hope during unsettling times. Scripture proclaims, “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” (Isaiah 30:15) Perhaps these words spoken by God to His people so long ago are words we are wise to hear and heed today. Perhaps our salvation does indeed come with our willingness to turn from the norms of society that flaunt the will of the Creator; to find in the quietness of a professed Christian nation forced to be still in the wake of a pandemic, a new sense of what it means to trust and find strength to weather our current circumstances; and to know with certainty the assurance that comes from God in a season such as this.
Love. Joy. Peace.
Amen 👏👏👏 well stated
Love you.