Bright Monday

Some religious traditions celebrate the day after Easter Sunday. It is considered the second day of bright week and is called Bright Monday or Renewal Monday. This day is celebrated in some way in Australia, Egypt, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Germany, England, the Netherlands, and the United States. Though not all of these countries celebrate the day as a religious holiday, they obviously still see reason to celebrate the day after the day that we celebrate as the resurrection of Jesus.

I like that it is called “Renewal” Monday or “Bright” Monday. If any of you were worshiping with the church at Graham Street yesterday, you heard Randy's message about the nature of the gospel story. It isn’t good news without the resurrection part of the narrative. Without this component, the story is futile. If the story ended with Jesus’ burial in a tomb and the disciples waiting in that upper room, wondering and anticipating, the story would mean nothing for us.

Of course people feel the need to celebrate the day after Easter Sunday. It is the day after the greatest narrative of all time came to fruition. It is the day after Jesus defined our future as children of God. It is the day after he extended the invitation to us to become the “walking risen.” Jesus’ resurrection defines our baptism. We are buried beneath the water, then raised up as new creations. We die to ourselves and put on a new life in Christ. Our newness is in the power of His rising.

Imagine waking up as one of the disciples, the day after a post-grave Jesus entered that upper room and showed the scars in his hands. That would probably be one of my better mornings. Certainly one of the “Brightest.” Bright Monday is a reminder that we are free to walk in the power of Jesus’ resurrection everyday, as those who are resurrected into a newness of life.

“...that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10-11).

God,
Thank you for the promise of life through the resurrection of Jesus. Thank you for his willingness in life and death. Give us strength as we pick up our crosses and follow you as the Walking Risen. We love you. Jesus, we thank you.
Amen.

Erin Daugherty

Abilene Christian University