Easter signifies hope and renewal

Over 2,000 years ago, one man changed the world. Soon, Christians will celebrate the most important day of the year: Easter. For many, Easter evokes images of pastel colored eggs, marshmallow chicks, chocolate bunnies and baskets, all signifying the beginning of spring.

For Christ followers, Easter is the day to commemorate the beginning of new life.

Jesus, crucified on a cross (a most horrific, violent, torturous act), died and was entombed. Our stories tell us when his friends, the disciples, went to mourn at the entrance to his tomb the rock was rolled away and he was not seen. Jesus had risen from the tomb, bringing a promise of new life and hope to a world filled with desperation and darkness.

Christians use words like “risen” and “resurrection” to describe this significant event. In fact, some Christians prefer the term “Resurrection Day” to “Easter.” For many, Easter is confusing — after all, we just celebrated the birth of Jesus at Christmas and now he is an adult and he has died! Luckily for us, we don’t have to celebrate Christmas once in our lifetime, nor do we remember Christ’s death and return once. Each year, we are reminded of new birth, new life and hope.

Easter is a time to celebrate. For those of us who have lived in the Valley of the Sun for a long time, we forget that there are seasons — it is either hot here or comfortable (some of us even say it is cold). However, Easter is timed to coincide with the start of spring, a date to remind us of new beginnings.

Unlike Christmas, which is always the 25th of December, Easter does not stay on the same date in our calendar. In Western Christianity, it varies every year, falling on the first Sunday after the full moon after the March equinox. Due to the cycles of the moon, Easter occurs on a Sunday somewhere between March 22 and April 25. Not coincidentally, Easter falls very close to Passover and has close ties to this Jewish holiday.

For all of the beauty and hope that Easter brings, we also must remember or re-tell the last days of Jesus’ life: his Last Supper with his friends, on a date we call Maundy Thursday, his trial and the crucifixion on Good Friday (from words meaning God’s Friday), and the Easter Vigil, beginning on Saturday.

In the words of author Frederick Buechner, “Resurrection means the worst thing is never the last thing.” Thank goodness for us, all does not need to be sadness and tears — we can find joy and hope on Easter.