This year Easter is something else, isn’t it?

It looks nothing like the triumphant celebratory Easters many of us have grown accustomed to. This year, darkness still hangs over us. How do we celebrate resurrection in the midst of all… this?

When you think about it though, the first Easter was fraught with darkness, fear, and uncertainty too. Women discovered the empty tomb and encountered the risen Christ and began to proclaim the resurrection but transformation didn’t happen all at once. Jesus’s followers were fearful, regrouping took time. He appeared and then disappeared. It was weeks before the Holy Spirit would descend. They were still living under oppressive Roman occupation. 

The message of Easter is that even when all seems lost, it isn’t.

Even when death still covers us, it does not have the final say.

This year, we don’t have bright lights and Easter lilies and pastel bonnets and ties. We are called to believe — to continue believing — in resurrection even when it seems impossible. THAT is the Gospel message. That has always been the Gospel message.

When we don’t have the trappings of church, when we can no longer pretend that everything is ok, can we still believe? This hard and holy work. Nothing is guaranteed. We can’t minimize the death that still surrounds us and at the same time we can still believe in and build something bigger and better. We believe it’s worth it to keep going.

Here’s a short Easter message from Brian:

Blessings to you this Easter and always.

Christ Is risen!
Fr. Shay

P.S. if you want to learn more about the political-ness and queerness of the Bible, we’re hosting a course on Queering The Bible soon. Learn more here.