
Can I just randomly and stubbornly go against all of Christendom (except for the Orthodox Church, which celebrates Easter on May 5th – but wait, isn’t that Cinco de Mayo? How confusing?!) and pick my own date for Easter?
In fact, March 23rd is a rare date for Easter. It last occurred in 2008, and won’t occur again until the year 2160. That’s a gap of 152 years! These are well-established dates, in place since the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. At that gathering it was decided that Easter would be a moveable feast, observed on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring equinox (approximately March 21st). So, how can I declare 2024 to be a March 23rd Easter date?
Allow me to explain. This is not a belated April Fool’s, nor an attempt to be contrary. Saturday, March 23rd, was the day before Palm Sunday on the Christian calendar in this year of our Lord, 2024. But March 23rd saw a glorious Easter celebration at Trinity, in fact, there were two Easter celebrations that morning, one on either side of our campus.
On the church side of things, a funeral was held for a dear sister in Christ. She was the longest-living member of our church (106 years old!) and she now lives eternally with Jesus. There were Scripture readings, prayers, hymns, a sermon along with tears of grief and joy! Jesus lives, and so does our sister in Christ!
On the school side of our campus, we held an Easter for Kids event. Around 30 children (ages 3-10) were served by a considerable number of volunteers who guided the children though lessons and activities that focused on Jesus and his resurrection.
In short, we were preparing these children for what will one day happen to them as represented on the church side of the campus that morning. We were preparing them for death…and for life in Jesus. We didn’t parade them past the open casket, we didn’t even announce a funeral was taking place. But we taught them about sin and grace, about God’s boundless mercy, and about the perfect life, innocent suffering and death, and glorious resurrection of Jesus their Savior. It was our privilege to teach them to NOT be afraid of death.
March 23rd at Trinity felt, well, Easter-y. The next day, Palm Sunday (March 24th), two young boys were baptized. That felt like Easter, too. They were connected by their baptism into Jesus’s death, as were you and I. Paul reminds us: “We were therefore buried with him by this baptism into his death, so that just as he was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too would also walk in a new life.” (Romans 6:4)
Truly, Easter is every day. Resurrection joy enables us to say with David, the mouthpiece of the Savior in Psalm 16: “I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices.” (vv. 8-9)
He lives!
Pastor Stephen Luchterhand