Today is Easter Sunday. Some of my friends here celebrate the day, others do not. But this is an extraordinary and wonderful day for all of humanity, every single person, not just for Christians who do celebrate Easter. Let me explain why I think so.
I would guess that we would all agree that we live in a broken world. At times, that brokenness seems extreme. We have wars, brutal dictatorships, anger and bitter hatred in our national discourse (here in America and around the world), along with an increasing amount of suffering caused by natural disasters globally. And I am only scratching the surface of the mess that surrounds us and fills our news stories. The promise of modernity and the enlightenment, that humanity and society would grow better and better has long been shown to be completely empty.
What is worse, that brokenness, is not just “out there”. None of us escapes it, and we can’t claim to be just victims. As Alexander Solzhenitsyn said, “The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.” Or, as G.K. Chesterton, in response to the Times newspaper’s question, “What is wrong with the world?” is reputed to have replied, “I am!”.
I don’t know anyone who disagrees that the world is a crazy, messed up place and so are we. Even in our finest moments, we, all of humanity and each of us as individuals, are not who we hope to be.
And yet, this conversation is not meant to be a downer. In fact, my intention is quite the opposite. It would be depressing if the only option we have to fix society is by hard work and our best intentions. And similarly, if the only way to be the good people we aspire to be is by pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps, then we would be in a sorry state.
And that is why Easter Sunday is extraordinary. In fact, “extraordinary” is a cosmic understatement. The claim that stands behind the traditional greeting of Christians on this day, “He is risen”, is, if true, profoundly life changing. The story that surrounds Easter is grand, thrilling, rich and so, so deep, and I do it no justice trying squeeze it into a nutshell, but, nevertheless, here’s its premise:
- There is a loving, personal God
- He is not surprised or thwarted by my, your and everyone else’s brokenness
- God became a human being, the man Jesus. And he died to rescue us from all that is wrong in us and the world at large, knowing that we are incapable of doing it ourselves
- Then the part that Easter Sunday is all about – he rose from the dead. Yes, he literally and spectacularly came alive again as proof that this was no accident, and that he has the power to fix all brokenness, even death.
And that isn’t the end of the story. There is much more to explore – so much more to talk about than this, already lengthy, post allows. We will have to leave that for another conversation.
Novelist Marilynne Robinson, remarking on the uniqueness of Easter (and Christmas), wrote, “In these two moments, narrative fractures the continuities of history. It becomes so beautiful as to acquire a unique authority, a weight of meaning history cannot approach.” Most would agree that the story is nothing if not extraordinary. You may not agree with all its tenets. Maybe you don’t believe in God, or at least not a personal one. Perhaps Jesus being God and the resurrection narrative are just myth to you – but even then, it’s still quite an extraordinary story. And therefore, it’s worth your and my time to explore and discuss it. I love talking about the story that the Bible tells. Maybe some of you fundamentally disagree with the premise or just can’t understand my passion for it – and that’s OK. I am always open and happy to discuss views that completely contradict mine. You can tell me that I believe in myths, and I won’t be offended. So, here’s an open invitation – explore this with me one day and let me know what you think.
And for those who believe the myth, as I do, or as C.S. Lewis said, “The heart of Christianity is a myth which is also a fact”, then Easter Sunday, is not only extraordinary, but it’s inexpressibly wonderful too.
Happy Easter! He is risen.