Mentally I know that celebrating Christ’s resurrection does not require lilies, Easter finery or stirring anthems. His victorious resurrection is joy enough.  I reminded myself of that in the days leading up to Easter Sunday as it became clear that all of us would observe the day at home.  This year sweat pants or pajamas would be the uniform for worship viewed in our kitchens or living rooms.

The corps live-streamed service did inspire. And then it was over. I would have plenty of time for reading, one of my greatest pleasures. Or a crossword puzzle. All day really. But on Easter, that did not seem to be enough and I felt restless. Unsatisfied.

The doorbell interrupted my musing. My son answered the door as I imagined who it might be. Perhaps a young person with a petition to sign about a worthy cause or a neighbor who had received our mail by mistake.

“It’s Linda,” he called to me.  I ran through the names of women on our street. No Linda. Then it dawned on me that it was a beloved friend from the corps. She brought delicious baked goods, fresh from her oven. The real gift, though, was to see her smiling face outside our door.  Because of the pandemic, there were no hugs and we maintained the proper distancing during our brief conversation.

But her practical act of kindness brightened the entire day for me.  She was a link to our corps family.  And communion with them was what I had been hungering for, what has been missing since we’ve been apart. How I long to sing, pray, talk, cry or laugh with them all.

This separation has shown me that while my relationship with Christ is personal, fulfillment of my calling involves membership in the Body of Christ. As a group, our corps family is diverse and imperfect. But God has called us together in this time and place to be His people to our world.

Oh Lord, may the time come soon when together in one place we’ll sing Your praise!

written by Dorothy Post, solider at Montclair Citadel, New Jersey, USA East