Several years ago I had a friend, Joanna, who would watch Evangelical religious programming all day, every day. I’ve never known anyone who openly and unabashedly loved Jesus more than she did. Every Easter she would chide us when we would greet her with a “Happy Easter” and give us a lecture on the secular and pagan origins of the holiday name. Instead, she told us, we should say, “Happy Resurrection Day” in remembrance of the gift of eternal life we received on that first resurrection morning.
In memory of Joanna, Happy Resurrection Day!
Every year as this holy day approaches I find myself contemplating what it must have been like in Jerusalem two millennia ago for those who were closest to Christ. Having witnessed the horrors of the arrest, conviction, and death of Him whom they followed and loved, what was their reaction in the immediate aftermath?
I am sure that there was a sense of disbelieving shock as the devoted disciples of Christ tried to absorb the whirlwind of terrifying events from the previous few days. I imagine there was sadness that in the rush for burial before the sabbath that they couldn’t even do the full traditional anointing with spices; fear as they awaited the further wrath of the powerful leaders of the Sanhedrin who had wrought this devastation; insecurity as the apostles pondered the future. I can picture Peter, feeling sorrowful and lost after having failed to both physically protect his Lord and verbally defend Him, not understanding what exactly he was to do now. My heart aches for the women – the sisters Mary and Martha; Mary, the beloved mother and others – who were surely weeping, but still having to feed their families and take care of daily mundane tasks. I wonder what John felt as he undertook his new role in caring for Jesus’ mother.
I can feel the confusion of the women as they anxiously rushed to Christ’s tomb at the breaking of dawn after the Sabbath so that they could complete the burial ritual only to discover that His body was gone. I picture Mary’s initial overwhelming grief at the loss and then her stunned and amazed joy when she sees the risen Christ for the first time. I can sense the emotions sweeping through the community of believers as word spread that Christ was not dead, but was risen – as He had promised.
2,000 years after that first Easter morn we still feel the marvelous joy of that day. Christ’s victory over death is so glorious, so immense, so powerful that it defies words. Christ, though dead, had broken that once inviolate bond. Christ proved that He could defeat evil, that He could defeat pain, that He could defeat death. Never again was the grave something to be feared. Death was conquered. Man was free. Christ had won the victory (to paraphrase a great Easter hymn).
Easter is the promise and assurance of hope. Because of Easter we will be able to see all the loved ones whom we have lost through the years, including my getting to see my sweetheart again. Because of Easter we can be made perfect. Because of Easter our aches, pains, imperfections, and all physical and mental limitations will be done away with and we will be made whole. Eternally there is boundless joy – because of Easter.
For many years we attended the Pacific Chorale’s annual performance of Handel’s Messiah and I still enjoy sitting and listening to a full recording at Easter time. I listen to the prophecies of Christ, the nativity story, Christ’s ministry, the sorrow of the passion, the glorious resurrection, the beginning and spreading of the Gospel, and the promise of eternal glory. In person the audience stands as the magnificent Hallelujah Chorus bespeaks the victory of Christ’s gospel breaking through earthly corruptive power to spread to every corner of the globe. And then comes, “the trumpet shall sound, and the grave yield up her dead.” Oh, what excitement as those triumphal trumpets announce the full resurrection of every last one of God’s children! A few moments later is the deeply joyous, “But thanks, thanks, thanks be to God! Who giveth us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The victory of eternal life and eternal reward. By the time Messiah reaches the concluding number I am longing to be with those on either side of the veil joining together in singing the powerful song of affirmation of Christ’s dominion over death and hell:
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
And has redeemed us to God with His blood,
To receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.
Blessing and honour, glory and power,
Be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne
And unto the Lamb,
Forever and ever.
Amen.
Indeed, worthy is the Lamb who redeemed us. With gratitude I raise my voice with the hosts of angels to say, thanks be to God for His gift of hope. Thanks be to God for the triumph over death and hell. Thanks be to God. Blessing and honour be unto Him forever and ever. Hallelujah!
Look to God and Live... Joyfully! 