Is Easter over?

Spring in Maine is a season of renewal and optimism. From the bleak cold, dark, colorless winter, the earth miraculously redresses itself in green and promises rich colors in brilliant hues. Spring’s renewal is derived from the roots and seeds of a prior season and is filled with expectations of familiar fragrances, colors, blossoms, fruit, and warmer and brighter days!

Easter is like that! It emerges with a hope after forty days of Lent, a somber time meant for contemplation on the temptations, life, and unjust sufferings of Jesus. Lent is a time for introspection, confession of sins, and realization of our need for Jesus, the one who came to show and tell us truth about ourselves and our need for redemption.

Lent draws us into the tragedy, sorrow, guilt, despair, doubt, and fear of Good Friday when Jesus was crucified to pay the death-price for all of humanity’s sins so that we could be redeemed. There at that cross we are faced with the necessity of personal crucifixion, the willingness to come to God in humility and repentance. There at the cross one experiences the “newness of life” found in Jesus.

Good Friday’s mourning and seeming defeats dissipated on a wonderful, awe-filled Easter dawn which broke over an empty tomb with the angelic announcement that ” He is risen. He is not here just as he said.” Suddenly, the tenor of Jesus’s followers’ world had changed. Jesus was alive, had conquered death, and had defeated the evil one. There was joy instead of sorrow. The proclamation of that crucial, Easter morning victory has echoed confidently and defiantly throughout the ages. It continues to blossom and fruit in vivid hues of joy, peace, love and eternal hope.

Easter is not just a day on the calendar. Easter isn’t over. The risen Christ walks every day with all who gratefully believe in him.