Tuesday Eve Service - Zoom Only

Easter People on Easter Sunday, Some with Easter Bonnets

Easter bonnets
Colorful bonnets seen at Living Table on Easter Sunday.

Christ is Risen! And approximately 55 folks gathered in person and virtually for Living Table's Easter Sunday service.

7 comments

The Blessings of Hybrid Worship Continue!

While it is still novel for Living Table to gather in this hybrid way, striving for fully interactive virtual worship connected to the in-person gathering in our new sanctuary at New Branches, this week some folks shared how important this access is to them, and it reminded us why we have prioritized fully interactive hybrid worship access. This is important outreach.

Agape is Resurrection and Revolution

Happy Easter! Christ is risen! We can celebrate resurrection and new life until Pentecost (June 5), though we are a resurrection people and the celebration of this never ends. It was truly joyful to gather with so many folx this week with Easter Bonnets to add to the joy. Our series on the “Seven Greek Words for Love” also came to an end with the sermon on agape.

Traditionally, agape is defined as unconditional love or the kind of love God has for us. While this is true, there is more to it. Agape is universal and includes the whole of Creation as mentioned in John’s Gospel. Agape is a love that has no exceptions or limits and includes everything. Only agape can account for the power of resurrection and new life that is central to Christian faith.

No matter what is going on, it is possible to begin again, to be made new. Agape does not deny pain and suffering. To do so in this world would be detrimental to everyone’s mental health. Agape is deeper, stronger, more encompassing than suffering. This is the kind of love that Jesus taught.

Jesus’ life and ministry was all about reaching out to the margins and re-membering and re-centering people whom the world deemed unworthy. Jesus’ crucifixion is a reminder that this kind of love is not usually welcome and presents some risks. People who are in service to the Empire fear the wholeness and unity, healing and forgiveness that agape brings.

However, fear, hatred, violence, and death were not the end of Jesus’ story. Resurrection and new life are where Jesus’ story and our story intersect. We are the Resurrection. We are the new life. We are invited to continue the story of God’s unconditional and universal love for Creation. We are invited to live in agape and share it freely.

Every time we embody agape we are engaging in acts of resistance that can dismantle oppressive social structures. If enough of us choose to live in and act out of agape we can create the revolution Jesus started so long ago. Imagine a world in which a revolution of Love takes hold… This is resurrection. This is Easter. And it is ours for the making.

And those Easter bonnets…


Easter Communion service led by Pastor Rachael Keefe (L) and Rev. Douglas Holland Federhart


colorful Easter bonnets at Living Table Easter Sunday 2022


colorful Easter bonnets at Living Table Easter Sunday 2022

About Rachael Keefe

Rev. Dr. Rachael Keefe is the pastor of Living Table United Church of Christ. She was called to Living Table in 2015 after serving in many varied ministry settings since her ordination in 1992. She holds graduate degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and Andover Newton Seminary at Yale (formerly Andover Newton Theological School). Her ministry and leadership often center around advocacy and accessibility. Her writing has been published by Chalice Press, The Christian Century, Red Letter Christians, Working Preacher, RevGalBlogPals, and others. She is grateful to be in ministry with Living Table today.

Share this Pastoral Notes

post from Rachael

7 thoughts on “Easter People on Easter Sunday, Some with Easter Bonnets”

  1. It’s fun to see these pics from Easter 2022…and so it has been a year with hybrid interactive services at Living Table now!

    Reply
  2. People are so creative and fun with the bonnets; Living Table offers many different and creative activities to express spirituality – so cool!

    Reply
  3. The hat I wore for Easter 2022 (see photo of the lavender “picture hat”) made its triumphal return today. In other words, you got the same thing this year as last. I almost didn’t bring it–I was feeling less adventurous today. But at the last minute, I brought it out of the closet (so to speak) and wore it again. And imagine how humbled I was during prayer time when Lauren offered a prayer of gratitude for me in my hat…She remembered that years back, on her first experience of Easter at the former Spirit of the Lakes, she was so pleased to see me and hubby Stuart both in (lovely) hats that morning, and she thought something like, “I think I’m in the right place.”

    Thanks, Lauren, for remaining part of our ever-evolving church community, all these years!

    Reply

Leave a Comment