God's time

Is this what Pascha (Easter) is all about? Chocolate eggs?

I lifted this picture from Stuff, where it was used to illustrate an "Easter" story about not over indulging in chocolate over the holidays (holy days). I know the press has to fill up space but do we really need "experts" hectoring us on how many calories there are in chocolate bunnies and eggs?

Give us a break!

Some of us, are recalling the most significant event in human history this weekend - and to those of us who are the number of calories in a hot cross bun or the news that Anna Paquin is bisexual seems incredibly banal. Do you think either will matter very much 2000 days from now let alone 2000 years hence?

It amuses the secular that different parts of the Christian Church celebrate this feast at different times, this year being unusual that all groups are celebrating on the same day.

It irritates the secular ruling elite that the date on which the feast is celebrated moves from year to year and for the EU gnomes in Brussels it is doubly irritating in that it may be celebrated at different times in different parts of their realm.

Indeed there have been proposals to "fix" the date of Easter - the first weekend in April being a popular choice in those circles.¹

But it is all of little consequence, as Christians we live in the world ruled by the ticking of clocks, marking time with imperfect instruments in an imperfect world - but occasionally we can set all that aside and live according to God's time.

And that is what we are doing or in any case trying to do this weekend.

 

(1) I found it slightly ironic to be writing that line when both the Eastern and Western Churches are celebrating the Pascha at the same time and during the the first weekend in April - a nice and tidy situation (human bureaucratically speaking) which will not occur again in the foreseeable future. Next year both branches of the Church will celebrate together again but on the 24^th of April a full three weeks into the month.