Peace be with you… 

Easter is too grand a celebration to be limited to just one Sunday.  Eastertide lasts 50 days (7 Sundays) and takes us to Pentecost Sunday.  Of course, every Sunday is truly a celebration of the resurrection- that is the reason our worship is on the first day of the week! 

We used the theme of ‘fear’ for Holy Week as we moved from the fear of Palm Sunday to the ‘no fear’ of Easter.  As we move deeper into Eastertide, our theme will shift to the words that the risen Christ speaks to the gathered Disciples, “Peace be with you.” 

This greeting is both an imperative and a prayer.  A combination that we could call performative speech- speech that brings something into reality.  As we offer this prayer to one another we have the power to make it happen.  We can pray it and then perform it.  We can offer the peace that we proclaim. 

The Easter message continues in the peace that we offer to one another.  While most of us don’t have the power to control world events (and I’m pretty sure I don’t want that!) we can offer peace to those around us.  As the old children’s song goes, “let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.”  Amen to that!