Don’t know about you, but Easter has snuck up on me unexpected. In my head I think of it as an April thing, but of course it’s on the first Sunday after the full moon on or after the Spring equinox, and sometimes that’s in March. It’s so much easier to remember Christmas with its solid 25 December location (unless you are part of the Orthodox tradition, in which case it is 7 January). Ah well, what’s it about dates and remembering? For most Easter will be just another Sunday.
Except it isn’t.
Those who think that Easter has nothing to do with them don’t realise how different their world would be without it. After all, no Easter Sunday, no Christian faith. No Christian faith, and it’s difficult to see how the world would have followed the trajectory that it has. Whatever you think of biological evolution, sociological evolution was the established pattern until the resurrection. The survival of the strongest, with little concern for the vulnerable, was the unquestioned norm. Why care for the weak and those on the fringes? It’s certainly true, the Graeco-Roman world didn’t. Did slaves matter? No. Did children matter? No. And with only a few exceptions, women also didn’t matter. The Jews might have taught that all are made in the image of God, but it was only with the spread of Christianity that the idea gained enough momentum to make a difference.
You might imagine that the Parable of the Good Samaritan is simply an obvious morality tale, but no one had articulated it the way Jesus did. And it was absolutely radical for Jesus to suggest that the first would be last, the meek would inherit the earth and that the way to find your life is to lose it.
Without the resurrection of Jesus this upside down teaching would have faded into obscurity, and Jesus would have been yet another revolutionary teacher unable to withstand the opposition of the powerful. The rich would have continued to inherit the earth.
Now some might say: “Hate to burst your bubble. But this is still a world for the rich and the powerful. And those on the fringes are still on the fringes. You are over estimating the difference Jesus has made. We fall far short of paradise.”
Hmmm, fair point. I guess the reality is that we might underestimate the importance of the resurrection, but equally, we might over claim our bragging rights.
That’s the creative tension we live with. On the one hand, this Easter Sunday could be “just another Sunday”. And we could participate in the slow drift away from Christian values. Even some who claim to be Christian are part of this – accusing anything that sounds a little like the teaching of Jesus as being “woke” (shock, gasp, horror). After all, what does it mean to be woke but to accept that everyone matters (or that all are made in the image of God); that empathy matters (or as Paul puts it, that love is the greatest of all); or that the planet matters (or that we must take the Creation mandate to steward the earth well with the utmost seriousness); or that… well, you’ve got the point.
Or this could be “NOT just another Sunday.” It could be a Sunday to remember that Jesus has conquered death; to remember that it was because of the resurrection that the disciples affirmed Jesus was Lord; to remember that the resurrection affirms the teaching of Jesus to be true; to remember that the resurrection is not primarily a comfort but a challenge – an invitation to live in the light of the teaching of Jesus.
This Easter, why not do a little Easter reality check?
Ask yourself the question: “Do I live as though the resurrection is true? If so, what evidence is there for for this?” You don’t have to be too hard on yourself. Changed values count, as does trying to figure out how to live in the light of the teaching of Jesus.
And if your answer is yes, a blessed and courageous Easter to you. Christ is risen – He is risen indeed.
If no – well I guess it’s just another Sunday… but it doesn’t change the reality, Christ is risen – He is risen indeed. And that could change everything for you…
As always, nice chatting…
Photo by Tim Gouw on Pexels.com
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