Three reasons I hate being in the office at Easter... and how to fix that

It’s that time of year again. Easter. Sigh. You know what I’m talking about don’t you? Of all the times of the year that it can be especially “tricky” to be a Christian in the workplace this is it. Here’s why I find Easter especially hard…and how that shapes my prayers in response.

1. It's cliche

In the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there's one day of the year when vampires simply take the day off—Halloween. See, it's the one day of the year when everyone else—the non-vampires (pre-vampires?)—goes through the motions of their annual traditions of dress-ups and trick-or-treating. It can make the whole celebration a hollow, slightly embarrassing, and cliché for the true born again “Vampyre”.

As with vampires and Halloween so too with me and Easter. People take an Easter egg filled long, long weekend without really appreciating what it is all for. It’s that time of the year when the everyone visits church to keep grandma happy. I'm disappointed by how hollow the celebration can feel; an empty cultural homage.

And if your workplace is anything like mine, Easter is that time of the year when your colleagues bring their religious baggage out of storage. Out of earshot of grandma, they dredge up negative childhood memories of church boredom, guilt and intellectual incredulity; that is before their enlightened 13 year old selves finally got the upper hand against that volunteer 70-year old Sunday School teacher who couldn’t answer their question about dinosaurs (though to be fair, the church hasn’t always had a stellar record in respectfully and lovingly engaging with those bigger questions). Which is what can make Easter so difficult in the workplace. An uncomfortable time for paying respects to a societal heritage that many feel they've been personally slighted by. It can make it harder, not easier, to share my Christian faith at Easter…

2. I'm complicit

…Especially when I’ve spent all year with this team. I’ve laughed at the same off-colour jokes – sometimes uncomfortably, but more often genuinely. I’m “annoyed” by Michael just like everyone else in the office (seriously, who hired that guy?) I’m complicit in the office politics. Maybe not an active player, but I know how to report that the project is “green” when it’s really on-fire red.

And then oh, it’s April again. “Hey Michael, Happy Easter, let me tell you about Jesus…”. Sometimes declaring and displaying Easter only declares and displays my own hypocrisy. It’s hard to suddenly bring in hot cross buns when I was never that generous the other 51 weeks of the year…

3. Work is crazy busy

…And besides, Easter is also the time of the year when I’m like, crazy busy and stuff. The year has truly ramped up now. I'm overcommitted and this long, long weekend coming up just puts even more pressure on me to get that (green) project delivered by the end of the quarter.

Meanwhile this is also the busiest time of the church calendar – my church volunteering is all out of whack as we plan to reach out to those Easter pilgrims who show up once a year (with grandma). And on top of all that you want me to share the gospel at work because Easter makes it easier? Sigh. I don’t even share it the rest of the year… Also, now we're on zoom more often than not, we aren't even seeing each other face to face outside of work meetings.

An Easter prayer of confession

Maybe, just maybe, all of this is the reason why I need Easter so much. That annual long, long weekend makes me stop, to remember the reason for it all. And so this Easter here is my prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, this Easter help me to remember Easter throughout the rest of the year. Even as work is crazy busy please help me to be a faithful steward of my time – throughout all seasons, and on all days; Sundays and into the working week. May my priorities and actions grow to reflect your own.

Forgive me when I’m complicit, yet again, in workplace sinfulness. May your Spirit work to restore and transform my office relationships into genuine friendships marked by integrity, compassion and love. As you re-shape me, may you re-shape my workplace culture through me, to be one marked by humility of service and cares for the vulnerable.

Against the Easter cliché help me share the truth of Easter, by authentically sharing in the lives of my work colleagues every day – hearing their hopes and dreams, hurts and fears, and showing how Jesus is not just true, but good. Lord you can overcome our collective cultural baggage; you are what we are all searching for.

And thank you Jesus, this Easter, for once again reminding me afresh of your great work on the cross, dying for my sin so that I might be forgiven, and rising again to new life so that with you we might live lives to the full, eternally.

To you be the glory, forever and ever. Amen.