No, I don’t mean more work for church professionals! But Easter is one time when the church knows how to celebrate. We could use more of that. Here are seven suggestions for extending Easter by developing the spiritual practice of celebrating.
- Read one segment of the Easter story every day next week – the different versions of the discovery of the empty tomb, the Emmaus road, Mary in the garden, the picnic with the disciples on the beach at the end of John.
- Think of three times in your life when God has brought new life out of a situation that seemed hopeless. Give thanks.
- Look for something to celebrate about the people who are close to you (especially those who annoy you the most).
- Read a newspaper or your favorite online news source and look for ways God is at work in the world and in your community.
- Monday, find some good jokes online. There’s a tradition in some communities of telling jokes the day after Easter. Here’s some history and a suggestion from belief.net for a day-after-Easter party. Exhausted clergy and church musicians probably don’t want to do this, but you could relax by laughing.
- Buy some candy half price next week.
- Every day (or at least once a week) make a list of five things you celebrate about your life.