It means new flowers and new clothes. It means egg hunts, sunshine and pictures. It means baby birds and cherry blossoms. It means a church service and a lovely brunch.
These are some of the images that I associate with Easter. It has become, in the secular world, an occasion for beauty and happiness. And why not? Easter Sunday is, after all, about life after death, hope after despair, and light after darkness. It comes just as winter loses is hold on our climate. Eggs hatch, trees bloom and babies are born. Life erupts everywhere.
Easter is about life. On the first Easter Sunday, Jesus' despondent followers go to his tomb to tend to his body. Finding the tomb empty, they are confused at first, but eventually overjoyed.
The entire Gospel message is, of course, about new life. We are called by Jesus to experience and enjoy new life not just after we die, but beginning immediately. He calls people out of painful, empty experiences and into meaning and joy.
New life, unfortunately, does not mean an easy life. We are not promised that difficulty and hardship will disappear. We are promised hope and confidence and strength in the midst of these challenges.
This year we celebrate Easter in a climate of war, economic uncertainty, election year debates and promises, and personal challenges and joys. What are the tombs in our own lives that we might re-examine this year and see, to our amazement, that the pain is no longer there, that what we thought had been killed is really alive?
While I like the idea of new life, and triumph over evil, I don't always feel that I am experiencing this kind of spiritual success. I often get overwhelmed by the negative traits I see in myself, and with the negative events going on in my community and world. It can be hard for me to live as if Jesus has risen from the dead.
Still, the tomb is empty - empty of Christ's body, and empty of the fear and failure and disappointment that his death represents to his followers. The disciples seem to have no idea what this means. They will spend the rest of their days trying to understand the implications of the fact that Christ is still alive. We are continuing that project ourselves, trying to get at the meaning of Christ's resurrection for how we live and why we live.
That doesn't mean that we can't enjoy blue skies, fresh flowers, new clothes and egg hunts. These are all rituals of spring, rituals that celebrate new life. But we must remember the central spiritual truth from which these secular rituals have been born. In the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we learn that life is stronger than death, and that light casts out darkness.
This is not just a truth about the natural cycle of the seasons. It is a truth that informs how we live and how we handle the death and darkness in our own lives. Bill Peatman writes from Napa. |