Easter in Autumn

The church can point to many different days as the “beginning” of its year. For some the first Sunday in Advent starts the liturgical year. For other churches July 1st seems the beginning of the year because they vote on a new budget and new board members. Of course, we could consider what the calendar tells us, that January 1 is the start of the year.

But I always consider September a beginning. It has the feel of a new start. Schools are back in session. The calmer days of summer give way to the return to real life. In the church many folks who have been away over the summer are back in the pews. Sunday school gears back up. Programs start up again. It does have the feel of a new beginning to it – in some ways maybe even an Easter feel.

Yes, it might be easier to see the message of resurrection, in the season when flowers are blooming and trees are coming back to life. But in the fall the promise and potential of new life is just as clear. It is a time of new beginnings and a fresh start. Isn’t one of the things that Easter tells us is that each day is a new beginning and a chance to begin a new life? The promise of resurrection is not just for eternity but also for now.

Even as we look out at the dead leaves on our lawns and see the barren trees we remember that God, in Christ, tells us there is more than we can see with our eyes. It is the ultimate promise of hope. As things start up again in September, we can know it is a gift - a fresh beginning. And most of us could use a fresh start every so often.

Yes, Easter will always be in the spring but we need to hold onto, and live, that Easter message each day – and maybe most especially when the leaves are falling and winter seems close.