The Russian Orthodox celebrate the holy day of Easter in part by greeting each other with the formula Iisus Voskres (Jesus is Risen!) to which the believer would respond Voistinu Voskres (Truly, He is Risen!).
In negotiating their struggle with official atheism and the bureaucracy at the Kremlin, Russians circulated a joke about a Kremlin functionary stopped one Easter morn by a janitor (these were generally older women, the ones who most stereotypically stood by Russian Orthodoxy) who saluted him with a “Jesus is Risen. ” He barely looked up and continued his path across the Kremlin grounds, when a second saluted him with the same greeting. He continued without looking up, clearly late for a meeting in the halls of power. Finally, on the third such encounter, he exploded, “Yes, Yes. I’ve been informed.”
May we all be more with the janitors than with the powerful on this holy day. Happy Easter.
In Primary today, an African sister said, “Happy Resurrection!”
In the parking lot after church just moments ago a friend from Australia wished me a “Merry Easter.”
Western Christians use the same formula.
Alleluia Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.
Happy Easter all.
Today we visited my in-law’s ward. I attended nursery because one of my two year olds has become reluctant to leave us.
I was deeply touched by the little lesson the teacher gave. She had clearly thought and prayed about what to say about Christ to these little people. She had pictures of the life of Christ and skimmed through it with them, mentioning his death but not lingering. At the end, she said (in basic enough Finnish that I followed her), ‘Jesus loves each of you and he loves me.” And she wept with these eight pairs of little eyes glued on her.
I admit I had a lump in my throat too. Then one ofmy son Daniel turned to me and chanted his best rendition of the first lines of a song I sing to them often, as clearly and sincerely and enthusiastically as he could, “Jesus loves me this I know, ’cause the Bible tells me so.” And then I wept too.
Happy Easter.
And on all other days as well.
Thanks for this Easter salutation.
Thanks for wonderful thoughts Norbert and Guy.
Nice Sam MB.
Very nice indeed.
On this Monday morning, my heart is singing with the janitors.