So long ago the world changed. From celebration to fear. Disbelief. Uncertainty. Lost hope. Pain. Hiding. Disappointment. Grief. Persecution. A life that is forever changed. Rising to bring new hope. New life.
Am I speaking of Easter or Covid-19? There are similarities, aren’t there? No matter what you believe about Covid, no matter how strong your faith in God, there are moments when we all feel a little like the disciples may have felt throughout the first Easter.
In March of 2020, my husband and I returned home from a quiet retreat celebrating our anniversary at a nearby cabin on a lake. The world had changed. We came home to find the world was in a panic. The whole world? Disbelief. How could that be? Everything became uncertain as we heard reports from other countries as well as closer to home. Pandemic. Illness. Death.
It has been over a year since the pandemic began. The world has begun to lose hope that life will ever be the same again. We feel the pain of missing loved ones. We are hiding or in isolation, whether imposed or chosen. As holidays come and go, as life goes on with celebrations that cannot be shared with loved ones, we grieve the loss of contact with one another. We grieve the loss of freedom. Some believe we, followers of Christ, are being persecuted. Life really will never be the same. How do we return to our past lives when normal is anything but normal?
While wishing this had never happened, we can also wait for the miracle of setting aside our burdens and we can rejoice in what this time of death means for the new life to come. Will we continue to fill our days with busy-ness or have we enjoyed the slower pace we have needed to develop? Have we isolated ourselves from others or have we developed deeper relationships with those present in our daily life?
Certainly, we cannot forget this time of Covid-19. Certainly, it has changed the world forever. And yet, the changes we are experiencing because of Covid are nothing when compared to how the world changed over 2000 years ago with the death and resurrection of Christ, our Lord. Can you imagine being at that world-changing time?
A year ago, just after the news of Covid startled us, Inscribe writers imagined exactly that. We wrote about Easter from the point of view of someone from that time. I write for the Inscribe Writers’ Online blog late in the month, so I thought most of the regular people from the familiar Bible accounts would already have been shared. I needed to be creative to find a different viewpoint, so I wrote about “The Point in the Story.”
You may have realized that I like to play with words, so I do not write in one genre but like to play about with various writing styles. Times of celebration are a wonderful time to do just that. So when Inscribe Press decided to publish those April descriptions of Easter and add other poems, stories, and recipes to create an anthology, I thought it would be fun to submit a variety of writing.
I am honoured to be among the 40 Canadian writers who have contributed to this new book. This anthology can be enjoyed in one sitting or savoured bit by bit over time. Along with my April creative non-fiction blog, this anthology contains my writing in other styles. A Bible study, “Women at the Cross: Courage to Care.” Devotionals, “Holy Week,” “Do the Math,” and “It is Finished.” A poem, “Communion.” A fiction story, “White as Snow.” And also two photos.
As Covid-19 is again affecting how Easter is celebrated, Easter Stories and More may be a new way for you to experience this vital Christian celebration. You can purchase a print copy from me (visit my store or e-mail me.) Even better, purchase both the original seasonal Inscribe anthology, Christmas Stories and More along with Easter Stories and More at a discount.
The new anthology is also available in print from other contributors or at the Inscribe.org store. Print and electronic copies of both anthologies are also available at Amazon.
If you would like to get to know some of the other contributors, I encourage you to visit their websites, listed below. They have participated in this book launch blog tour, but take time to explore the rest of their websites as well.
March 24 – Ruth L. Snyder https://ruthlsnyder.com/blog/
March 25 – Sally Meadows https://sallymeadows.com/blog
March 26 – Eunice Matchett https://albertastoryteller.com/
March 27 – Lynn Dove https://lynndove.com/
March 28 – Pat Gerbrandt https://patgwriter.wordpress.com/
March 29 – Denise Ford https://walkingwithdustyanddee.com/
March 30 – Marcia Laycock https://marcialeelaycock.com/thespur/
March 31 – Bob Jones revwords.comhttps://revwords.com/
April 1 – Valerie Ronald https://scriptordeus.wordpress.com
April 2 – Kimberley Payne https://www.kimberleypayne.com/blog/
April 3 – Marnie Pohlmann https://marniewriter.com/blog/
April 4 – Allison Lynn https://allisonlynn.blogspot.com
Lynn Simpson https://lynnjsimpson.com/
May you be blessed this Easter weekend of 2021 with the hope of our Lord’s resurrection and new life to come. How will this change your life?
Categories: Marnie New Posts Special Days
marniewriter.com
Marnie writes from northern British Columbia. She shares from her heart, drawing from both painful and joyful life experiences, where she believes God's presence makes all the difference.
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