Easter

Easter Sunday in the Christian Church is all about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which occurred on the morning of the third day after His death. In fact, every Sunday is considered Resurrection Sunday because the Resurrection is the primary reason for Christians to gather as a community of faith. The 40 days of Lent, which is the season of repentance and reflection leading up to Easter, does not include Sundays.
Christianity must stand or fall with the Resurrection. That Christ rose from the dead has always been a cardinal article of faith in the Christian church. This is a great comfort to believers as we can rely not only on our own faith but also on the credibility of witnesses to the Resurrection. Account is to be taken of the number and variety of witnesses and the essential harmony of their reports, the absence of any motive for falsehood and their self-sacrificing devotion to the Gospel that based itself upon the Resurrection.
The proof of the Resurrection also rests upon the following: The impossibility of explaining the empty tomb; the attitude of the enemies of Christ after the Resurrection - revealing as it did their helpless confusion; the disciples’ sudden transition from hopelessness to triumphant faith; and the founding of Christianity in the world - which can be rationally accounted for in view of the fact that Christ actually rose from the dead.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is revealed in the New Testament as the miraculous restoration of Christ’s physical life and the reunion of His spirit with His body. The body in which the disciples saw the risen Lord was real, and that in which they had seen Him living and dying on the cross. (Luke 24:39)
Christians do not suffer any less in this world because they are Christian. However, our faith informs our lives in this world and the world to come. We have the promise of eternal life through our Savior, Jesus Christ. The Christian families of “(9-11)” and “Katrina” victims grieve the loss of their loved ones but at the same time rely on the hope that is found in the Resurrection.
Much has been written about Christianity recently, some of it of a sensational nature, such as the question of fiction/non-fiction in the popular novel, “The Da Vinci Code,” the hoax of locating the tomb of Jesus’ brother, James, and the discovery of the Gospel of Judas. These stories might pique the interest of the casual observer of the Christian faith but for the true believer, the Word of God as expressed in the Old and New Testaments is the foundation of our beliefs.
Easter Sunday is the highlight of the Christian liturgical calendar. Christians around the world celebrate this day by saying, “He is risen. He is risen indeed!” It is essential that the enthusiasm we experience on Easter Sunday manifests itself through our actions and relationships with all of God’s children. Christians are commanded by God to respect all of creation and to show the love of Christ to all peoples of the earth, regardless of race, color, or creed.
— Jack Donahue is pastor of the Colonial Church of Bayside, 54-02 217 Street, Bayside, NY 11364, (718) 224-3899.