Beloved,
A parish I served years ago had a beautiful Easter morning tradition. Before the first alleluias of Easter morning, before the processional cross came down the aisle, we would break the quasi-silence of pre-worship anticipation with a lone drum beat and the stomping of our feet. Our percussion accompanied the three-fold chant of this great verse: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and on those in the tombs bestowing life—bestowing life. (Hymn 817 in this Wonder, Love, and Praise hymnal). Not only was this a clever way to expend the energies of the young ones in the pews, it made space for us adults to settle our own hearts and join in the victory dance of Christ over death.
The beauty and wonder of our Christian faith is that Jesus—God incarnate—knows the depths of human depravity of which we are capable and the sorrows of human suffering. Jesus, Emmanuel—God with us—having vanquished death, also knows the exquisite joys of new life. The traditional icon of “Christ Harrowing Hades”, depicts Jesus standing over the gates of hell, pulling Adam and Eve out, having trampled over the tombs below. It is one of the most powerful and enduring icons of Easter.
Centuries of Christians have taken solace in this image of Christ’s victory over death. In our day, as violent conflicts and wars rage around the world; as immigrants and refugees continue to suffer in detention centers; as our vulnerable young people and elders contend with life’s challenges in isolation; this icon of Jesus pulling humanity to resurrection and new life reminds us that our hope is in the Word made flesh who conquers death and evil. Though events in our world work hard to obscure this fact, Christ’s victory is our victory too.
With all that may be on your heart in these days, know that Christ takes you by the hand to pull you toward resurrection light. Whether this season finds you shouting “Alleluia!”, stomping your feet to the great Easter Troparion, or observing this feast more quietly saving your exuberance for God alone, I pray that resurrection joy would be yours.
Faithfully,
Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows
