As the candles are snuffed from our Easter liturgy and the only reminders of our celebration are the mountain of candy wrappers and plastic strips approximating grass, we go back to our lives as a return to normal, as if nothing is different. And the irony is lost on us all.

We go about our lives unphased, thankful that our Lenten fasts are over and happy that we can say our “Alleluias!” in church again. Or for those who don’t do church regularly, we are done with gift-giving until birthday or Christmas, whichever comes first.

And yet, this is the day we celebrate the most revolutionary act in human/GOD history: the day GOD changed the nature of the world.

For that, we dress up, go to church for an hour, and then spend some time with family. That is our response to the biggest, most radical event our world has ever known. Hollow chocolate bunnies and a sugar coma.

Our attention to the event fades by evening. Then it turns to other things. Opening Day and the NCAA Finals. Work. Our regular lives.

This doesn’t seem to match the rebellious character of the Easter event or the scope of the resurrection story.

Shouldn’t our response to Easter honor the character and significance of the event itself? If we can’t irrevocably change the nature of the world, then the least we can do is change something about ourselves and about our community. We can sacrifice from our excess: our clothes, our toys, our food.

We should skip the resolutions and get straight to the change. Don’t waste time planning out the goal and working toward it. Act! Do! Make something happen!

This is a season of action! This is a season of revolutionary change! There is nothing status quo about the resurrection. Nothing.

Who we are after Easter should be shaped by what we experienced before and through Easter: a new revolution. A revolution that expects us to do some of the heavy lifting.