When I was a child, the Monday after Easter always included potato salad in order to use up some of the dyed hard-boiled eggs that had been hidden the morning before. Watching my son, the Monday after Easter includes smuggling candy to school and breaking in new shoes that were in his baskets. As a child the Monday after Easter did not include much reflection on the significance of the “day after” the resurrection.
On this Monday after Easter, I wonder what you are doing and thinking? Was Sunday a day of family gatherings, a day of matching clothes, of delicious food, of family photos, or even one of wonderful worship at a church you only attend a few times a year? Are you reflecting on family fights, messy kitchens, or money spent on Easter baskets and clothes?
Are you thinking of Jesus and his sacrifice? Are you wondering about the glory of this miracle of saving Grace? Does this Monday mean the start of real Christian living and serving?
Or is the Monday after Easter a letdown for you? Another start to the work week, complete with baseball games and ACAP testing for the kiddos, and laundry or grocery shopping to be done?
Both Luke and Matthew record doubt and bewilderment on Resurrection Sunday; what we now know as Easter. After reading the Gospels, I wonder what the Monday after Easter was like for the disciples, the women at the tomb, Jesus’ mother, and the followers of Christ. They were likely still filled with wonder and excitement over all of the events the day before. Word was still spreading and it would have been filled with anticipation and rejoicing (and probably some skepticism which led them to be labeled as delusional). At that point, the resurrection of Christ was so new and in some cases so terrifying, that many may have been filled with fear and trembling rather than pure excitement about the implications of Christ’s resurrection.
The Monday after Easter for them would have been one of wonder…but also one of dismay and uncertainty. The Monday after Easter would have been when the work of spreading the word began in earnest.
In 2022, we have a different perspective on the events of Jesus’ life; specifically, Easter. We celebrate this as a major Christian holy day. We rejoice in our relationship with the Savior. We worship diligently and find our place in pews with other believers.
But most likely our Monday after Easter is just another Monday. Or is it? Could we capture the wonder and excitement of the past? Can we be just as diligent in sharing the Good News? Can we hold on to the knowledge we hold tight to our heart on Easter morning?
Whether you are a child smuggling candy to school, a New Testament disciple being labeled delusional, or a current day Christian working to emulate the life of Christ, please know that the Monday after Easter is the day we have a chance to show the world the Grace of God. We have great opportunity on the Monday after Easter to initiate the Great Commission.
Make a difference in someone’s life this Monday after Easter.
~Emily
“When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, ‘Get up, and do not be afraid.’ And raising their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.” ~Matthew 17:6-8 (NASB)
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