Easter Abroad

There's nothing like living abroad to make you examine your own traditions and beliefs, is there? Here in Beijing, for example, Noah had a birthday party and Cameron had an ultimate frisbee tournament, both scheduled for Sunday afternoon. Since we could all be at church together and were spending the rest of the afternoon stuffing ourselves silly, we let them go. But the idea that anything like that was scheduled on Easter Sunday was strange.



We couldn't find egg dying kits and without all the hoopla around Easter, actually kind of forgot about egg dying anyway until the 11th hour. There were plenty of little chocolate eggs and bunnies, thanks to the large number of expats here; the Easter bunny was very resourceful in finding some colorful cereal bowls in the cupboard to use as baskets.


That was strange for me. One of the things I've always enjoyed doing was those kinds of traditions. Trust me, I am NOT the mom that does anything fancy or over the top--but I think whatever we put together is always a lot of fun. In Tanzania, everything was very haphazard--if people remembered or had something we did it; otherwise, not. People were much less tied to their own country or cultural traditions. And that was OK, because the things that are important about holidays, especially Christmas and Easter, are more prominent. But here I definitely feel a more "we're Americans/Kiwis/Aussies/Danes who happen to be living in China for awhile" and people are more focused on those cultural traditions. So now I feel like I've shortchanged the kidlets in some way--they don't get a good old American Easter tradition, AND they don't have a meaningful context around them for the "real" Easter season.


Which brings me to Easter. As Lutherans (all our lives) we have had liturgical services. I have found a great comfort in reciting the liturgy on Sundays--I suppose it's like a mantra in some ways--the familiarity of the words and the rhythm slows me down and refocuses my thoughts on their meaning. Easter was trumpets and Martin Luther hymns (at least 1). Most of all, I always remember the sense of J.O.Y flowing out. Gone was the darkness and somber mood of Lent. There was always a strong sense of things being made new again, of hope, and life. I loved Easter Sunday for that feeling.

Our non-denominational church (the one we attend for a variety of reasons) doesn't have Lent. I don't know why--someone told me it's because Lent isn't a Biblical concept and so they don't include man-made seasons, but I don't know. What I do know is that I spent the 40 days before Easter with no recognition of Easter coming, no mention of the pain and sacrifice that Christ endured, no period of sober reflection. The music was the same as every other Sunday--praise music that is orchestrated to elicit an emotional response, which seems to be the driving force of these kinds of churches. The prayers, the music, the message--all focus on praising God, on how God is good, how God endures forever. I firmly believe all of that, but sometimes I get tired of music that is strategically repeated to elicit emotions, of prayers that repeatedly iterate, "God, we love you, we praise you."

Easter Sunday was no different--many of the same songs, similar prayers, and a sermon that mentioned the Resurrection in passing. I felt none of the joy and lightness after reflecting on sin and sacrifice during Lent. A praise service that felt ordinary, rather than extraordinary. I was left limp, really.

There are some things that I do like about non-denominational churches, but there are several reasons why we would attend this type of church overseas, but probably wouldn't at home. But I so miss my church in Arusha and in Minneapolis. Dare I say it? I'm bored on Sundays often...singing praise songs for 45 minutes just makes me wonder when the "real" church is going to start. I missed the time of being reminded of the conditions that brought Christ to the cross, of my own needs and shortcomings, followed by the wonderful knowledge of salvation. I am not finding this church meets my spiritual needs in many ways.

I don't know if I need to get over myself, or become more disciplined in commiting to the transition to a new way of doing things. We have made good friends and are settled in, really. It's just missing something...and I missed that on Easter.