Growing up Evangelical, Easter always left me disappointed. New outfits, catchy radio songs, egg hunts, and a 45-minute "inspirational" talk... but something was missing. It felt shallow — like we were trying to hype up the greatest event in human history with pep rallies and marshmallow Peeps, without any real preparation of heart or soul. I kept wondering: How do you do justice to Christ conquering death by just showing up in a new hat with no fasting, no repentance, no ancient liturgy? Only when I found Orthodox Pascha did it finally make sense. 40 days of communal Lent.
Holy Week services that stretch for hours.
The midnight cry: CHRIST IS RISEN!
The depth, the beauty, the unbroken connection to the Apostles. Orthodoxy doesn't improvise the Resurrection. It lives it. If you ever felt that Easter "should be a much bigger deal" than what you experienced... you're not alone. Read the full reflection:
https://orthodoxreflections.com/growing-up-disappointed-in-easter/