Think about the worship of our Church during the Easter period. She has us declare over and over again that Christ IS Risen! In fact, it seems that our Church tells us that we cannot declare this belief too often! In fact during a regular Liturgy after Easter we sing the Easter Tropar more than twenty times. Why? Because the Church knows that as humans the news about our immortality is probably the best news that our God could have ever shared with us.

In addition to declaring this great news over and over again during our communal worship, we also stand in prayer. Hopefully this act does not go unnoticed by any who pray with us. To actually think about what we are doing, that is standing in God’s presence, is part of our worship. Why? Because it declares our belief that we are truly His children and heirs, by His choice, to His Kingdom. The very act of standing calls us to believe in our relationship with our God. It has nothing to do with what we deserve or have earned. It has to do with His loving kindness and His great gift to us. Remember, we cannot do anything to make Him love us more than He does right now. All we can do is express our thankfulness for the love that He has extended to us.

One of the beautiful prayers that we say during the period of Easter is part of the Hymn to the Mother of God. Again it takes some reflection in order to truly understand what the prayer says. We sing:

Shine in splendor, O new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord is risen upon you, O Sion. Sing with joy and rejoice.

Hopefully those who sing this prayer understand what it truly means. This prayer, says our Church, declares that we are the Israel – truly the new chosen people of God which has its foundation on the God of all ages, Yahweh, the King of Glory Who has chosen to reveal Himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Again, our prayer is a prayer which declares our faith that God, when He created us     humans, shared His very life-force with us. He is our God and we are His people.

It is my hope and prayer that, as we declare these truths together, each of you may experience to the very depths of our hearts and bodies, the joy of being God’s child. May you know and feel that God’s life – the life-force that pervades the entire universe – is calling you into existence at every moment with true and absolute love.