What does Easter mean to you this year?

the Living Cross, covered with flowers by our community on Easter Sunday

An Easter Message from Pastor Rosemary Landry

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Easter this year is one that we will definitely remember. Your children will have one of those “when I was your age...” stories to share with their children. With being asked to shelter in place, I am reminded of the disciples sheltering in place after Jesus was crucified and buried. I'm not sure if our fear of COVID-19 is any less than the disciples fear of the Romans, as they locked themselves in the upper room.

For most people, when they hear the word resurrection, they think about Easter and the Christian belief of Jesus rising from the dead. But there is another meaning to the word resurrection; it is “the revitalization or revival of something... a rising again as from decay, disuse... a revival.” 

At some point, we will rise as a nation – as the world – above this crisis. And in every church in America, we will celebrate this revival with joy; we will celebrate the light that comes after the darkness; the life that comes after death.

Jesus’ death on the cross is symbolic of God's love; that in his death and resurrection we are assured of God's grace, which is given freely and generously. Often people read the Old Testament scriptures and say they can't believe in a God that is angry and vengeful. Many of the stories of suffering and disaster we read in the Old Testament are depicted as acts of God: the killing of firstborns in Egypt, God floods the earth, sends plagues, and condones the killing of the people of Canaan.

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So the question arises, that if God controls everything, then is this an act of God in the world? We often wrestle with the depictions of a God of love and God's wrath.

To me, this is why Easter is so important. On Christmas we celebrate the incarnation; God coming to this world in the person of Jesus. God came to show us the character of God, God's values, what's important to God, and how God wants us to treat each other. Jesus’ life shows us what justice and inclusiveness means. I have often heard from some people that God causes bad things to happen (often to teach us a lesson); or that if God is in control, why hasn't God done anything about this crisis that has spread throughout the world? If God is loving, or even exists, how can God allow this kind of suffering?

God does not have different faces. On one hand, we don't see a vengeful and violent God as in the Old Testament and then see God in a different way through the person of Jesus, who is loved and filled with grace.

The evils and suffering we see in the Old Testament are the result of human evil.

The suffering in our world is caused by us. War, famine, homelessness, racial inequality and economic disparity – to name a few – are the result of greed, control, and power. We all make difficult choices and sometimes we make the wrong decisions. With total love and mercy, God allows us to learn from our mistakes in loving ways. But God remains with us, walks with us, carries us, as we learn and grow from our mistakes. God never leaves us alone.

To paraphrase Fredrick Buchner, we are promised that the worst is not the last; that God will always walk with us and help us make something good come from our mistakes. God never says spitefully “I told you so.”

Easter reveals who God truly is. Each of us is the center of God's love. Divine omnipresence means that God is everywhere – in each of us. Easter is the revelation of God's love. If we open our eyes and pay attention, in this pandemic crisis, we see so many God moments. We see God's presence in so many places and in so many people. Jesus isn't in the grave, Jesus is caring for the sick with COVID-19, making respirators and supplies, stocking our grocery shelves and delivering packages. Jesus is with us, our families, our neighbors, in the midst of our fears and anxiety. This is what the resurrection is; a renewing and revitalization of our lives and the world around us in the midst of life's challenges.

At Easter, we acknowledge that evil can be overcome. In his life on earth, Jesus shows us who God is: compassionate, a peacemaker, loving, merciful, kind, accepting. His life is the light in the darkness of our world. In his crucifixion we see the evil of mankind. Jesus’ resurrection shows us that nothing can keep the light of God away from us. At Easter, through God's divine work in the world, God's love is revealed to us. God's love for us and our love for God can best be expressed in our love for our neighbors.

Easter is a time for us to pay attention. To pay attention to what God has done for us and ask what have we done for others. In places around the country – for example Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick – people have said that older Americans would be willing to risk death due to COVID-19 in order to protect the U.S. economy. Once again, putting greed above the lives of community and our loved ones. Those who live on the margins have always taken a back seat in our country. The most vulnerable are the most impacted — yet the least heard.

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We have moved out of the Lenten season, a time in which we saw the light of God diminished week by week. Easter is a time of new life and light. Yet we, in this pandemic, feel like we are encased in darkness still. The events of Good Friday were the results of our human brokenness. This Easter may be a time for us to be closer to God and each other. Maybe not physically, but in the common needs in our lives. As our world has come to a screeching snails pace,, this can be the time we can hear Gods voice and God's calling us to something new. The resurrection we celebrate this year may be a revitalization of our lives in new ways. Social distancing begs us to evaluate our relationships, not just with our friends and families, but with the marginalized.

We are a nation that prides itself on individualism. But this pandemic knows no boundaries. We have all been impacted by this pandemic. We fail or we succeed together. We have seen the worst of people, racial injustice as people blamed the Chinese for this pandemic; and we have seen so many examples of the best of humanity. The beauty of our community has been seen in stores having early hours for the elderly and vulnerable, restaurants continuing to serve through delivery and pick up, people sewing cloth masks for their friends and the medical community, and ideas on how to support our local businesses flourishing on Facebook… every day we see acts of kindness all around us.

On this Easter morning, we see God, the one who seeks to heal and to love. From death, evil and darkness, Jesus resurrection shows us that love and grace will always prevail.