Maybe Next Easter

Steven Charleston: Maybe Next Easter

“I looked and saw a nurse, dressed all in white, standing by a bed in the improvised ICU. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” she asked, and then she pulled back the curtain to reveal an empty bed. In my confusion, I turned and walked outside, leaving the hospital as if it were a tomb, and went into the streets. There were hundreds of people there, people laughing and talking, people strolling hand in hand, children playing in the parks, people hugging one another as they met on busy sidewalks. The shops were full. The streets were full. The city was overflowing with the sounds of life, joyous and unending, beneath a clear and sunny sky. I stood transfixed. Then I remembered: it was Easter Day!”—Steven Charleston Facebook Page, Easter 2020.

Easter Parade NYC

Just in case you did not see Bishop Charleston’s previous Easter Facebook page, here it is! He tells us what the resurrection of our state, our country, and our world will look like. He constantly reminds us to look fear in the eye. He reminds us what hope looks like. Reread the resurrection stories of Jesus. So many say, “Fear not. Do not be afraid; Peace be with you.”

During this pandemic, I think Jesus would have also told us to take care of ourselves and others by washing our hands, social distancing, getting vaccines, wearing a mask, and avoiding crowds. Trusting is not just meeting danger unprepared. Like David slaying Goliath, we must take the tools we know best to slay the virus. David’s ammunition was a slingshot and a stone. Our weapons involved changing our social and hygienic behavior towards the enemy.

Not being afraid means knowing that God is right beside us and caring about us. But I think God also wants us to be prepared with all the tools God has given us against any danger, such as this virus. God walks beside us today so that we, again this year, could join the Easter Parade into our streets, into our shops, our workplaces, and our churches.

My Granddaughter Zoe and I often watch the movie Easter Parade on Holy Saturday. We needed something to remind ourselves of what that life was like before. But simultaneously, we also know that we have learned tools in this pandemic that we must continue to use so that our future remains brighter.

During this pause, we had the opportunity to learn about being kinder to our bodies, more considerate to each other, more forgiving to our souls, and kinder to the planet.

Bishop Charleston