Hymn of the Resurrection

Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus, the only Sinless One. We venerate Your Cross, O Christ, and we praise and glorify Your holy Resurrection; for You are our God, and we know no other than You; we call upon Your name. Come all you faithful; let us venerate Christ’s holy Resurrection! For, behold, through the Cross joy has come into all the world. Let us ever bless the Lord, praising His Resurrection, for by enduring the Cross for us, He has destroyed death by death. Jesus has risen from the tomb as He foretold, granting us eternal life and great mercy.

So here we are in Bright Week, “having beheld the Resurrection of Christ.” This hymn from the Paschal Matins service sketches out a map for observing these next 40 days as a “little church.”

1. Let us make time in our homes for worship, veneration, praise, and glorification:

We have put reader’s versions of Paschal Matins, Paschal Hours, and Paschal Vespers on our diocesan website for people to download. This would be a wonderful time to set aside time to do these services daily, if possible, but if not, shoot for three days a week. Do what you can. Continue to sing the Paschal Troparion and daily greet each other by announcing, “Christ is risen!” and answering, “Indeed He is risen!”

2. We know no other than Jesus, so let us call on His name: Take time out of your day to say prayers in the morning and the evening. Read the epistle and the gospel for the day during the main meal of the day and allow time to discuss the readings as a family.
3. Through the Cross, joy has come into the world:

Even in this time of not knowing how long these restrictions will last, call on the grace of the Holy Spirit to empower you to be joyful in how you present yourselves to each other in the house. The only way we can be robbed of the joy of the resurrection is if we allow ourselves to be consumed by the cares of this world. Lift up high the Cross of our Lord as we did on Palm Sunday, understanding this is the Banner of His Kingdom. The only pathway to the Resurrection is through the Cross.

4. Through His endurance of the Cross for us, He has destroyed death by death:

Let us continue to be a people of hope and not of despair. St. John Chrysostom tells us in his paschal homily, “Let no one fear death for the death of our savior has set us free!” So many of our fears or anxieties are tied to what happens when we lose things or resent that things have been taken away from us. The death of our Savior has set us free. Let us strive to still seek the peace of Christ, which passes all understanding.

5. Have some fun.

Go the park, take a bike ride, play a game of catch, and watch the movie “Field of Dreams” starring Kevin Costner.

The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church America will be meeting the week of April 27^th, to further discuss the restrictions placed on our churches, and new directives will be forthcoming after that meeting. God bless you all and thank you for your patience and understanding. The Lord bless you and keep you. “CHRIST IS RISEN!”

With love in Christ, the unworthy +Paul