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By Jean Kim-Butcher
 AS I write, our family is still in the throes of Lent.
“Is it Easter yet?” my children chorus regularly; and when told
that we are in fact only halfway there, they reply: “Well, Easter is
coming soon.” Such is the purity of a simple hope.
How often do children ask for the same story or the
same movie, over and over again? It is the experience of anticipation
and the security of knowing the outcome, that renders such repetition
attractive, is it not?
We all yearn to be swept up into a narrative
where we can journey through the fulfillment of hope – if only for a
moment.
Reflecting on Barry Buzza’s account of Viktor
Frankl’s experience in Auschwitz (‘Keeping our spiritual hold
in the face of despair,’ February), I was deeply impressed by the
power of hope to keep despondency at bay. In such a dire situation as a
Nazi concentration camp, not having a defence against despair left a person
vulnerable to an internal ‘death,’ which almost inevitably led
to a bodily one.
Have there been times in your life when
‘survival’ has hung upon the thread of a tangible hope?
For me, it has been when the guarantee of an
‘expiry date’ has served to pull me through pregnancy’s
physical and mental trials; when I have found myself in a relational
deep-freeze zone with my husband, where only my wedding vow and our
‘marriage insurance’ (aka children) have sustained prospects of
finding a way forward; when a trust in God’s goodness gave me
courage to be beside my beloved mother-in-law as she suffered and died from
cancer; and when, on occasion, I have had to wait out, by sheer act of
will, the crushing darkness of depression – knowing from past
episodes that, despite all evidence to the contrary, it too will pass.
But what does all this have to do with Easter? Its
story is of a persecuted people’s hope for a saviour. The utter
letdown at having their ‘miracle maker’ be brutally put to
death must really have tested the disciples’ faith.
It would have been understandable, had they despaired,
and turned their backs on God. Was not this, even more than his betrayal,
the tragedy of Judas? But the third day dawned, and with it the truth
spoken by 14th century mystic Julian of Norwich: “All manner of
things shall be well.”
Easter is known as the ‘Feast of feasts,’
for it proclaims the ultimate reason for celebration. Let us strive to
display the hope of resurrection to all those around us. Some suggestions:
• A Palm Sunday procession outdoors with your church
community, to proclaim Jesus’ lordship. The palms used can be woven
into a cross and hung in your home. Ethiopian Christians make crowns out of
their palms, for their kids to wear. How’s that for a symbol of the
‘hope of glory’?
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• Many churches celebrate the washing of feet on Holy
Thursday. Why not practice this in your own home, with the father (or
mother) washing the feet of all the children? Together with this, a
seder supper can be held to commemorate the Last Supper.
• We observe Good Friday with silence and fasting,
watching a video of the crucifixion of Christ. At church, we keep prayerful
vigil at the ‘tomb’ of the Lord.
• A contemplative way to pass Holy Saturday is to
clean house in preparation for the feast. Come on, kids!
• On Sunday, there is the blessing (and digging into!)
of Easter baskets filled with treats, from which we have abstained during
Lent. (Our children’s idea of hope fulfilled!) For the 40 days of
Eastertide, use your basket as a centrepiece, keeping it replenished.
• Buy new clothing (even undergarments) for your
Easter church service: a reminder of the ‘new creation’ we
become in baptism.
• Honouring the Easter egg’s symbolism of new
life, the Ukrainian art of psanky (Easter egg painting) makes for a great family craft.
• Go on a hike or garden tour to show your kids the
new buds: examples of nature’s ‘resurrection’ after the
dormancy of winter.
• Think of a redemptive work to which you can
contribute – e.g. visit a prison, write a letter to an estranged
family member, pray for a need on the world scene.
• Sing Easter songs at meals. The one we use, sung for
centuries in a myriad of languages and tunes is: “Christ is risen
from the dead, trampling death by death, and to those in the tomb giving
life!”
• Finally, in like spirit, greet others with the
time-honoured “Christ is risen!” The traditional reply:
“He is risen indeed!”
I would love to hear about your Easter customs, and stories
of hope. Feel free to email me at jeanfamilycolumn@gmail.com.
April 2009
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