Happy Easter! Easter is the Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The word “Easter” is derived from “Eastre,” the name of the Pagan goddess of spring and fertility. Easter is observed on the Eastern Hemisphere according to the date of the Passover Festival, an important feast in the Jewish calendar which is celebrated for 8 days.  To some people, Passover commemorates the flight and freedom of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. To others it commemorates the arrival of the Messiah as foretold by the prophets.  Scholars believe that the first Easter celebrations have roots in the Passover Holiday and is likely a form of commemorating the coming of the Messiah.  The early Christians, including Jesus’ disciples, many of whom were of Jewish origin and brought up in the Hebrew tradition, regarded Easter as a feature of the Passover Festival.

In the Western Hemisphere, Easter is a “movable” feast which can occur as early as March 22 or as late as April 25, on the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or after the spring equinox (March 21).  Easter occurs at the end of the Lenten season, a 46-day period of penitence in preparation for Easter that begins on Ash Wednesday. The last week of lent is considered a Holy Week that begins with the observance of Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday represents Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem where the crowds laid palms at his feet.  Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, which was held the evening before the Crucifixion. Friday in the Holy Week is the anniversary of the Crucifixion, the day that Christ was crucified and died on the cross. Holy Week and the Lenten season end with Easter Sunday, the day of the resurrection of Jesus. The Easter bunny and Easter eggs are both symbols of fertility and Easter eggs are usually painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring and are given as gifts.  

Regardless of how Easter is celebrated throughout the world, the central Christian belief is that it represents a story of persecution and rebirth. Most Christians believe that Jesus was executed by crucifixion, His body was removed from the cross and buried in a guarded cave.  Jesus rose again in three days, therefore defeated death, and appeared to his disciples several times before ascending into heaven.

This is the resurrection message Jesus left for us today.  Romans 4:25 tells us that Jesus was put to death for our trespasses and He was raised for our justification. It must be understood that Jesus being “raised” – is evidence that through His righteousness He can redeem Himself from death to life; therefore He can also redeem the entire world (those who repent for their sins) from death to life.  Romans 5:18 tells us that Jesus’ judgment of death was condemnation for all men, so His resurrection to life is the justification that brings life to all men. Romans 6:9-11 teaches us that since Jesus was raised from the dead, he cannot die again and that death no longer has mastery over him.  In this same way, Christians must count themselves dead to sin but alive to Jesus Christ.” Christians unlike sinners, no longer have to live under the dominion of death or the power of sin. This is the power of resurrection that Jesus gives to Christians – and it lives on today.