EDITOR'S NOTE: In October 2021 I began a new venture writing a newspaper column titled "Finding Faith" for the Forum Communications Co. network of newspapers and websites. I was asked to contribute to the company's ongoing conversation about faith, lending a Lutheran and fairly ecumenical approach to the discussion. The column was published in several of the company's papers and websites, including The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. This column originally appeared as a "Finding Faith" column on April 7, 2023.
By The Rev. Devlyn Brooks
And so we have now passed through Holy Week, and many millions of Western Christians will celebrate a high point in our liturgical year on Sunday. We call it Easter Sunday!
As they gather in their places of worship, they will hear from the Gospel of Matthew: “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised, as he said.”
The angel’s pronouncement to the two women who come to visit the tomb will alter life on earth forever more, and should bring Christian believers untold joy!
The angel’s words mean that Jesus did in fact triumph over death, and that eternal life is granted to all who believe in him. His resurrection is proof that Jesus was not simply a prophet, but that he was the son of God.
This is indeed worthy of great joy! And millions of Christians will sing together in chorus on Sunday “Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!”
But Easter should not only be the property of Christian believers, because at its center, Easter is about hope. For you cannot have Easter if you also do not have the passion of Jesus, which is the time frame in which he is arrested, tried, tortured and painfully crucified. Just because he was the son of God, the earthly kingdom was no less cruel to him.
Easter resonates so strongly with Christians because Holy Week encapsules the many seasons in life in which we all struggle. There is the highpoint of Jesus riding into Jerusalem to adoring crowds on Palm Sunday, the heartbreak of Jesus’ betrayal on Wednesday, the love of family as Jesus gathers with his disciples on Maundy Thursday; and the utter devastation of Jesus’ crucifixion on Good Friday at the hands of human greed and hunger for power.
Nearly everyone of us will endure at least one similar cycle of devastation in our lives.
But then there is Easter Sunday, the day on which the tomb is empty. Jesus has risen, defying the sin and death of this world, and in doing so conquering death and loss on behalf of us all.
Easter Sunday isn’t just about the fact that God’s son was resurrected and will join his father in heaven. It’s also about the hope that because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we too will be resurrected in Christ’s name. We will be resurrected through all of life’s trials including sickness, loneliness, abuse, divorce, loss of a loved one and on and on.
Easter is about the hope of Jesus’ saving action through all of life’s struggles, and you don’t have to be a Christian to join in the joy and celebration of that!
Alleluia! Christ Is Risen! He Is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!
Devlyn Brooks is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and serves Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. He also works for Forum Communications Co. He can be reached at devlynbrooks@gmail.com for comments and story ideas.
Comments