Today marks the Christian observance of Easter and we are lucky enough to have three different November Project Co-leaders walk us through what this holiday is, what it means to them, and how they share it with November Project.
Jake Lees (he/him), Scioto Mile
What does Easter mean to you?
Growing up, Easter was coming downstairs and finding my Easter basket overflowing with a chocolate bunny, all sorts of candy, and maybe a toy or two. It meant dressing up in a three-piece suit with a clip-on necktie and going to church to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Today, it’s still those things, except now my kids are the ones with the Easter baskets, and it’s witnessing the world return to life as the daffodils and trees are blooming and the birds greet me on early morning runs.
How do you observe/celebrate Easter? How has that celebration or observance changed throughout the years?
We celebrate with jelly beans, hunting plastic eggs, and hosting my family for lunch on Sunday. I greet people at church with, “He is risen” and receive the response, “He is risen indeed.”
What sentiment of the Easter holiday do you think shares an ethos with November Project?
Excellent question. Centuries of church history show atrocities committed in the name of Christ, abuse, and degradation. People misuse power, and friends in my community want nothing to do with Christianity. For me, Jesus demonstrated the way to live well, the way of sacrifice and serving something larger than yourself, which creates community. November Project Scioto Mile is a place where, “You belong here,” and November Project as a whole provides a place where people are seen, celebrated, and encouraged to step up and do good in the world. Every time the sun cracks the horizon, new opportunities abound.
How do you share this observance/holiday with your local NP community?
Wednesday’s workout saw us hunting for plastic eggs where the treat inside was a surprise. You could end up doing burpees, superpersons, or any one of 20 different movements as a group before running the oval (or egg-val as we called it that day).
What is something you want the global NP community to know about Easter or Christianity?
It’s a celebration of new life, and I hope you experience renewal and refreshment in this season.
Is there anything else you’d like people to know?
Reese’s Peanut butter eggs are garbage! The ratio of peanut butter to chocolate is way too much. Save your money and spend it on the miniature Reese’s cups, the perfect balance of salty and sweet. Happy Easter!
Gary Brucker (he/him), Kelowna
What does Easter mean to you?
Easter for me, is the most meaningful celebration of the year. It means peace and joy and unconditional love. It gives my life hope and purpose.
How do you observe/celebrate Easter? How has that celebration or observance changed throughout the years?
For the past 28 years my family has joined together with hundreds of people from our family of faith and guests at the top of a mountain that overlooks our city for a Easter Sonrise Celebration at 8 am. I am usually on the 5:30 am set up crew. The views are spectacular. Tim Hortons provides coffee and hot chocolate. There is an Easter egg hunt for kids. Really great live music. A drama or skit. And a message of hope. It’s our church family’s gift to the community. Then we head back for breakfast at our physical church building.
What sentiment of the Easter holiday do you think shares an ethos with November Project?
The sense of community. The gift of unconditional love. Oh, and an early morning reason to just show up.
How do you share this observance/holiday with your local NP community?
This year I talked about our tradition and invited our NP people to the mountain and breakfast before the bounce.
What is something you want the global NP community to know about Easter or Christianity?
So often I am embarrassed to admit that I am a Christian because too often I believe the focus by many churches and individuals has been on do and don’ts rather than on the real message Jesus came to bring. We are all flawed. We are all broken and in need of unconditional love and forgiveness and acceptance. What Jesus offers is love, freedom and hope. I love Team Jesus bit often dislike parts of his fan club.
Is there anything else you’d like people to know?
When it comes to faith, for me it is about a relationship with God through Jesus, and then the relationships that flow from that with others. As my friend Rocco says, “Lead with love!”
Matthew DePaula, Dallas
What does Easter mean to you?
Easter is my favorite time of year and is the most central celebration of faith in the Roman Catholic Church of which I am a member. The feast commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For me, I describe it as a celebration of the freedom for which Jesus Christ of Nazareth sacrificed himself. That I no longer am bound by the weight of past decisions which caused myself and others harm. Now, I can live grounded in truth and pursue kindness, gratitude, and justice all the while recognizing that I cannot simply do so on my own but need a teacher to show me the way to do so more perfectly. Jesus’ example and sacrifice show me perfect charity in the face of unjust forces; His resurrection gives me hope and trust that I, too, can follow His example in standing up to injustice.
How do you observe/celebrate Easter? How has that celebration or observance changed throughout the years?
Easter is a season lasting 50 days and it is the pinnacle of worship in Roman Catholicism. So much so, we begin preparing ourselves 40 days prior in a season called Lent leading to Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, and culminating in a three-part worship that begins on the Thursday before Easter (Holy Thursday) and which coincides with the Jewish feast of Passover in which the original events we celebrate take place. The three parts take place over three nights that all point toward Easter. Growing up, I did not take part in the three-part worship because they are not required. Instead, we would go to Mass (weekly worship) on Easter Sunday. I did not discover the three-part worship until college and cannot recall missing at least the Easter Vigil (Saturday) since then.
In brief, on Holy Thursday, we gather in the church to re-present Jesus’ last supper in which he washes his apostle’s feet as a gesture of humility and service while also instituting what we call the Eucharist (others may know this as Communion). On Good Friday, we fast from food and abstain from meat as an act of penance recognizing the death of Jesus which we re-present later that day and give honor (venerate) to the instrument of execution that won us redemption – the cross. Lastly, we return Saturday evening for the conclusion of our worship with the Easter Vigil. This celebration cannot begin before nightfall at which point the priest will bless a fire outside the church and light a special candle that is used throughout the year for baptisms called the Paschal candle (Paschal derives from Greek and Hebrew in reference to Passover). Inside, everyone else waits patiently with an unlit candle and in darkness (a sign of the darkness in which evil acts place us). The paschal candle enters the sanctuary lit as a deacon proclaims it represents the light of Christ and servers begin lighting our candles. Soon, the whole sanctuary is candlelit with all flames originating from the Paschal candle signifying the unity of faith we have in Jesus Christ who enlightens our minds and souls. The remainder of the celebration recounts the deep theology of Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection through prayers and extensive readings from the Bible, we sing the Gloria – a prescribed hymn of praise throughout which bells ring signifying the joyful tone, and people who have been learning about Roman Catholicism receive various sacraments (signs and experiences of grace) or make statements of faith and thus join the Roman Catholic Church.
Growing up our family did participate in Easter egg hunts, including a huge one by the city, which was always fun.
What sentiment of the Easter holiday do you think shares an ethos with November Project?
Easter is a season of present joy in the freedom won by Christ and the future hope of being with Him through a life lived in His example. November Project is a movement in which freely welcomes people to come as they are and together we pursue a stronger community through physical health, authentic connection, and mutual celebration of successes.
How do you share this observance/holiday with your local NP community?
We will wish members who celebrate a happy Easter. Last year, we had a member who put together an egg-citing workout around Easter, including some prize-winning golden eggs that members could find as they picked eggs from a basket, broke them open, and discovered their workout. Our group photo holding our eggs is shared in this email.
What is something you want the global NP community to know about Easter or Christianity?
Something that I want the global NP community to know about Roman Catholicism in particular is that it is global and thus extraordinarily diverse. Within the unity of faith exists a variety of expressions and is a quality that many dedicated Catholics are highlighting in recent decades, especially in the United States. One book that shows this well is Saints Around the World by Meg Hunter-Kilmer, which shares numerous stories of Catholics who lived faithfully from eastern Asia to the Middle East to the continent of Africa and beyond.
Is there anything else you’d like people to know?
If anyone has any questions, concerns, stories, or curiosities about Roman Catholicism, they can reach out! I have a Masters Degree focused on Catholic theology and would enjoy listening to you and potentially sharing Catholic teaching or my personal perspective influenced by Catholicism.
