Happy Eastertide! I pray everyone had a wonderful celebration of Our Lord and Savior this past Sunday. This season of Easter is one filled with hope and new life. Even though Easter was early this year and all the spring flowers are not in bloom, they soon will be. The celebration of Easter lasts for more than one day. Many Christians celebrate a whole season as Eastertide. This church season runs from Easter Sunday to the day of Pentecost, which this year is May 19th. During Eastertide we are continually reminded of the resurrected Jesus Christ and the events that happened between him and his disciples after Jesus was raised from the dead.

   All of these events are filled with hope and change. All record Jesus sending his disciples out into the world to spread the message he had taught them, both before and after the resurrection. The disciples were sent into all the world to preach the gospel and to let everyone know that they are beloved children of God. John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” This is good news that deserves to be shared with everyone. Some may not listen or believe this good news, but followers of Christ are called to spread this message without concern whether it takes root in the person we are sharing the good news with. I do not believe this means we pester people with the gospel, but when the opportunity presents itself, we should be willing to talk about why we believe and what Christ’s message means to us.

   Eastertide is a time in the church year when we are strengthened for this work. Let us never forget the most important part of Christ’s message is to love God with all our being and our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31). This is called The Great Commandment. The Great Commandment also requires us to radically respect the dignity of every human being. This sounds simple, but it is something we all need to work on, especially with those who are different than we are.

   May this Eastertide remind all of us how much we are loved by God, and may God give us the strength and courage to share that love with others.