Sweet the Timber, Sweet the Iron,
Encaustic and Mixed Media on Wood Panels,
by Phaedra Jean Taylor, 2014

In much the same way that December 25th ushers in the season of Christmas, Easter Sunday is the first day of the 50-day long season of Eastertide. In so many ways, we need more than one day of Easter to allow the reality of the risen Christ to set in. The news that Christ rose from the dead requires a long preparation--that is what the season of Lent is for--and a long time of reflection and celebration. In Lent, we abstain from particular practices in order to make room for God to move in our lives. During Eastertide, though, we might consider adding something joyful to our days and, in participating in that joy, reflect on the goodness and sweetness that God has brought into our lives.

Every season sees joy mingled with sadness. The point of Eastertide isn’t that we are happy for 50 days in a row; the point is that we remember as best we can that our God is alive, and that our spirits can be buoyed by that good news. There is an old hymn called “This Joyful Eastertide” that proclaims

This joyful Eastertide,

away with care and sorrow!

My Love, the Crucified,

hath sprung to life this morrow.

We live in the joy of the resurrection. Joy is not an emotion, but a “pervasive sense of well-being,” to borrow a phrase from Dallas Willard. It’s an understanding of life, and during Easter, it makes perfect sense.