Easter in Russia

My blogging has been in a slump as of late. As you can see below, I worked on two newsletters and I would be duplicating a lot. So, here is a report from Jeannette Chesser, a guest teacher at our school in Moscow, who shares her experiences from the past week in Russia.

Russian Easter

Because they use a different calendar, Easter is different than the US; this year it was April 19. The Russian Easter weekend starts Thursday night with communion and foot washing service.

After a late lunch on Thursday afternoon, I was sitting in the dinning hall chatting with another guest teacher. He told a staff member that some students in class had complained that no foot washing service was scheduled here at the seminary and they wanted their own service. (Students are assigned to different churches upon arrival at the seminary so it had been assumed that students would disperse in different directions for the evening.)

The visiting teacher and I strongly encouraged him to consider establishing the practice here. During the next 5 hours there was scrambling: spreading the news; assigning someone to go to a store to buy suitable basins; and, another to find enough clean towels. The visiting teacher was asked to teach/serve communion; and I was to give a message on foot washing.

At the end of the service, the women went to a portion of the library that had been set up for us. When I took a survey, only half of the women had ever witnessed such a practice. They were shy, self conscious, and an awkward hush permeated the room.

After demonstration a few had the courage to start, stiffness began to dissolve and little by little they entered into the spiritual experience. What happened was beautiful. Once they started praying for the person whose feet they washed, then they wanted to go to someone else. Before long it was evident that everyone was committed to wash the feet of everyone there.

Those on duty around the seminary came in late and the whole cycle started all over again. One woman said as she went around several times "Now that I have experienced this, I don't want to stop".

The water had to be brought from the kitchen in big pails and poured into the basins. I lost track of how many times someone went for another pail. Several hours later when it was over, every towel was soaking; there were prayers, tears, joy, laughter, singing, hugs,

On Saturday afternoon I was shocked to see lines so long they that wrapped all the way around a complete big block where people were slowly making their way to the entrance of a nearby Orthodox church. The purpose was a tradition to present eggs and bread for the priest to bless at the time he also blessed them.

For evangelicals in Russia, late Saturday night is the traditional church service with somber songs, prayers, and scripture reading. At midnight the sound changes to joy. The minister states "Christ is risen”, answered in unison by the people, "Indeed Christ is risen" thrice in succession, followed by shouts of praise and joyful singing.

Easter Sunday, the temp was near freezing, and the wind strong and piercing. There had been enough snow flurries to whiten crevices around trees and sidewalks. Families were out walking and the bells of the Orthodox were peeling. All day Sunday people were greeted with "Christ is risen" and the expected response would be "Indeed Christ has risen."

How wonderful to have the reality of Christ within, not just following a tradition. How blessed we are because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, His blood was shed for the remission of our sins; not just a covering but blotted out, never to be held against us again.

Love and blessings, Jeanette