On Easter afternoon, my niece said to me as she scrolled through social media on her phone “Tio – I think everyone in El Salvador is at the beach today. My whole feed is just beach photos.” On Friday, my own newsfeed was filled with photos of the alfombras and processions in El Salvador as most of the country took to the streets to honor the ultimate sacrifice made by our Lord Jesus with his death on the cross. But for many Latinos, Holy Week ends on Friday. Easter Sunday is just another Sunday. A day off to go to the beach.

That has been a challenge of mine as Lutheran pastor trying to bring energy to our Easter worship. If we only worship on Good Friday, we are missing the central part of what makes us Christians. Christ’s resurrection brings the promise of eternal life. Without Easter, Jesus is just another martyr.

It has been especially challenging for me at Ascension for a couple of reasons. Imagine walking in to attend Spanish worship and the glorious 8:30 English worship with choir, handbells, brass and crowds to the welcome center is just wrapping up. Then you attend Spanish worship that is trying to be special, but still basically the same as any other Sunday. It can feel deflating. The other challenge, our Latino ministries created for ourselves. Our Good Friday procession and worship has become a deeply meaningful worship service with the alfombras. How do we top that two days later?

It has been a gradual process over the years. First we added the Easter alfombras – a Lutheran theological twist on the tradition of the alfombras that reminds us that in spite of the destruction of the Good Friday, Sunday brings restoration. I knew the message was beginning to get through when some of our members took it upon themselves to create a new tradition of wearing all white on Easter. With six years of people gradually learning some Easter songs and the addition of song leaders thanks to Scott Greger and Marta Aparicio, I was hopeful that this year we would have some joyful moments of worship, but I knew it still wasn’t enough to lead up to the level of emotion equal to Las Posadas or the Good Friday procession.

With my wife, this year we decided to borrow a typical Midwestern Lutheran tradition to enliven our Latino Easter by hosting an Easter breakfast with an opportunity for photos with the Easter Bunny. The Easter Bunny is not a tradition in our countries, so he usually does not visit the homes of many of our Spanish speaking children. When they go back to school and other kids are talking about what the Easter Bunny brought them, now our Spanish speaking kids have a story of meeting the Easter Bunny at church, so they don’t have to feel left out. The families all had a great time with their photos. The energy from the breakfast carried into our worship. 

I had one other Latino tradition I wanted to incorporate this year. Called huevo chimbo in Central America, cascarones in Mexico, or confetti eggs in English, I wanted to incorporate these eggs in my children’s sermon. I mentioned it to Pastor Chris, and he told me he had the same idea and had already ordered enough for all of the church services.

This year, for the first time, I left church feeling satisfied that our Latino worshippers left church feeling the joy we want everyone to experience on Easter as we celebrate the resurrection. In fact, they may have left with too much joy since many had their laughter hushed as they were interrupting the English service, but that is a problem I am happy to have. 

A pastor from another church asked me on Good Friday if we didn’t worry about the mess made by the sawdust from the alfombras. I assured her it didn’t really make a mess. I thought of that conversation looking around at the church on Easter after worship – now that was a mess. A big beautiful mess of confetti everywhere. A member told that family member that worshiped with them for the first time that day, “This is a NOISY church.” 

May the joy you feel this Easter season be so overflowing that is beautiful in its noisiness and messiness.

¡Él ha resucitado! ¡Aleluya!

Pastor Edwin