The Oasis - March 31, 2021
Author: Rev. Eric Dupee
March 31, 2021
March 31, 2021
Rev. Eric Dupee
For Easter, we need a new message for the sign in front of the church. It only takes a few words. I could come up with one myself. I could consult my Bible or just make up something. However, I decided to do an internet search on “Easter church signs.” Surely, someone has already come up with the perfect message for the sign in front of their church.
In my humble opinion, the examples I found were mostly pretty ghastly messages that I would never use. Here is a sample: “God loves his peeps!” “The Easter Bunny didn’t rise from the dead.” “3 nails. 1 cross. 4 given.” “Resurrection! Like zombies but way more fun.” Peeps are my favorite Easter candy, but I wouldn’t use any of those messages.
However, I found a message I did like. It read: “Lent = spring training. Easter = Opening Day.” Opening Day for Major League Baseball is tomorrow, but that’s not why I like this one. That message strikes a chord with me, because on the first Easter, the women who came to the tomb found the entrance of the tomb wide open.
That message also resonates with me during this time when we are so ready for restaurants, stores, parks, and churches to be open again. The world will not be “open” in the way we might like by Easter Sunday, but maybe Easter can be “Opening Day” for us. Maybe it can be a new start as it was on that first Easter morning. Maybe we can open our minds and hearts to new ideas, to new ways of being in the world, or to persons in need.
I’m as excited to spend my first Easter at First Parish as I would be sitting in Fenway Park for Opening Day. My hope for you is a rich and meaningful Holy Week. May we experience many “openings” in the coming weeks and months.
Blessings,
Eric
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