The following is from Ukraine.
Day 60 – War || Easter Day
“Vova and I drove two days to be in Kyiv for Easter. We managed to gather a few faithful for our traditional sunrise service at St. Vladimir’s Park at 6 am. It was a beautiful morning, and I got teary-eyed watching our friends show up gradually. The curfew is from 11pm – 5 am these days which made it difficult for others to show up. And many of our regulars are out of the country, of course, though some joined by Zoom. The sunrise service is a beautiful tradition that missionary Robert W. Skinner introduced to Kyiv First Church almost 30 years ago. This year especially, we were all longing for it. It was amazing to be together, sing together, and proclaim the good news – Christ is risen!
Journeying back to Kyiv was special but also emotional. As you enter the city, there are still burned out tanks, blown-up buildings, homes, and gas stations. You realize just how close the occupiers got to the center of Kyiv. And while there are signs of destruction and death, there are more signs of life. Lots of people are out and about as over 1 million people have already returned to Ukraine. There are signs of spring, birds singing, friends talking and laughing together. I was amazed at how everything seemed to be back to normal. At least until the sirens went off, as they did late Saturday night. The sound of sirens can be unsettling. And yet, we continued our preparations in our sheltered space and I thought, yes, this feels right, preparing and writing a sermon while sheltering is truly a hope-filled act.
Destruction, fear, and death do not get the last word. That’s part of the Easter message. Resurrection. New life. Truth prevailing. Knowing that the darkness does not extinguish the light and never will.
I really needed the hope of Easter today and was blessed to be able to celebrate it with some of those we share it with every year, in this beautiful city and country, on such a beautiful day. Christ is risen!”
Any Nazarene who has been in Ukraine during Easter, has been blessed with this tradition Sylvia is describing in her Post. This park is iconic in the life of Nazarenes in Kiev because for the last 30 years, Nazarenes have gathered in this place at 6:00 AM on Easter Sunday to celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And this year, we have been very blessed to see Nazarenes gathered there in spite of war – and together proclaiming that Christ is Risen indeed!