Photograph by Chang Duong via Unsplash
Eastertide emergency
May 16, 2024
Easter Sunday goes by many names: Resurrection Sunday, the Great Vigil, and Paschal Celebration. My younger cousins even asked me mistakenly once if Easter was the Easter Bunny’s birthday. On that euphoric day we embody joy. We wear pastel colors, shout hosanna, and inhale the scent of lilies. We sing hallelujah and are filled with hope.
Eastertide, however, is another story. Eastertide, the liturgical season following the hyperbolic happiness of Easter, is more of a crisis than a celebration. When we look closely at the Scriptures, we see that in each gospel there is one thing common in the days, weeks, and months following the resurrection miracle: fear.
For the earliest disciples, Eastertide was an emergency.
In Matthew (28:2), we see an actual earthquake occur near the empty tomb that shakes the ground as the women walk towards a holy encounter with the rolled away stone. The women are so fearful that the first words the angel speaks to them is “Do not be afraid” (Matthew 28:5).
In Luke, Scripture explains that while on the road to Emmaus when the risen Jesus encountered the disciples they were “startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost” (Luke 24:37 NIV).
In the oldest gospel, Mark, we have the simplest ending of the Easter emergency which says: “Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.” (Mark 16:8 NIV).
Finally, in the Gospel of John, after Mary Magdalene encounters Jesus, we find the disciples with “their doors locked” because of “fear” in John 20:19.
In the aftermath of the resurrection, joy was not immediate. For those who lived it, the resurrection brought disbelief, confusion, rumor, grief, and most predominantly fear.
If you look closely, the earliest accounts of Eastertide look a lot like our world today: scary.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. For the 1 in 5 Americans who survive with mental illness every day, fear and anxiety are often common companions. From climate anxiety, to warfare exhaustion, to election worry and pandemic fatigue, there is no shortage of reasons why people are reaching mental health crises at alarming rates.
And thus, it is important to remember that fear is a part of our Gospel story.
In sharing his scars with others, Jesus convinces the disciples, even Thomas, that the season of Eastertide is one of emergency, but it is ultimately one of hope. Our raw wounds do turn into healed scars. Life does overcome death. Depression does end. Love does conquer all.
Fear is deeply embedded in our Scriptures as well. We see the phrase “fear not” and “do not be afraid” in both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament multiple times from Genesis (Genesis 15:1), to the Prophets (Isaiah 41:10), to the Psalms (Psalm 46:2), to the Gospels.
Fear is a real emotion that should not be pushed aside because it is difficult. Instead, we should meet fear the way Jesus does in the Gospels: with honesty and gentle compassion.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus greets his fearful companions with the message of peace three separate times (20:19, 21, 26). Each time he enters into conversation with the fear, he offers these words as solace: “Peace be with you.”
Next, he shows the disciples his hands and his side, which hold the scars of his crucifixion. Jesus acknowledges that he was afraid once too. He reminds the disciples that on the cross he faced real pain—yet he overcame.
For Christians, the holiness of the stigmata is a symbol of perseverance unlike any other. And for people living with mental health struggles, it can serve as encouragement that fear should not be pushed aside but should be shared in community.
In sharing his scars with others, Jesus convinces the disciples, even Thomas, that the season of Eastertide is one of emergency, but it is ultimately one of hope. Our raw wounds do turn into healed scars. Life does overcome death. Depression does end. Love does conquer all.
Within the word emergency lies the word emerge. What will become of your Eastertide journey this year? How will you face struggles for justice and peace (externally and internally) with strength and courage?
As the ghosts of depression, anxiety, mania, and disease threaten to haunt, may you be like Jesus who honored his scars and shared them with others. Come to community with your wounds and I promise you’ll emerge from the emergency both whole and holy.
May you face the emergency of Eastertide with courage, knowing that the Holy One knows you, loves you, and protects you, this day and always.
Rev. Kaeley McEvoy is a Washington, D.C. based writer and community organizer. She is ordained in the United Church of Christ and works as the Fellowship Program Director at Sojourners. She formerly served as associate minister at Westmoreland Congregational UCC in Bethesda, Maryland.
The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of American Baptist Home Mission Societies.
For those struggling with mental illness, please seek resources and support from great organizations like NAMI and utilize the suicide and crisis hotline at 988 and https://988lifeline.org/.
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