Celebrating the Hope of Easter
Happy Easter! Alleluia! He is Risen!
What do Easter joy and Christian hope mean in the time of Covid-19, when Churches are closed as quarantine continues?
Hope-in-God (in the theological-sense) is not the same thing as hope in the human-sense.
The human-sense of hope is basically having an optimistic state of mind, anticipating or expecting positive outcomes in life.
Our human-sense of hope has been beaten down by the pandemic, by the isolation, by the cancellations and closures. No kidding, the human-sense of hope is having a difficult time not celebrating Easter in Church.
It’s in this space between the human-sense of hope and the theological-sense of hope-in-God that we find Mary Magdalene showing up to anoint the body on the Third Day.
Perhaps Mary Magdalene didn’t recognize the Resurrected Jesus because she was looking through the eyes of human-hope. Jesus had to help her to see through the eyes of Christian-hope.
The Good News, the Easter Joy, is that the goodness of God will conquer evil. God will transform pain and suffering into new life and goodness.
Christian-hope is trusting in God’s abiding presence and the promise of God’s goodness.
The Hope of the Resurrection–the true Easter Joy–is about trusting God to (somehow) bring goodness out of this.
Each of us have seen small blessings begin to emerge… like the decrease in air pollution allowing India to see the Himalayas for the first time in decades.
What goodness (small or large) have you observed or experienced that points to the transforming power of God?
Recognizing and rejoicing in these are goodnesses can help us better recognize God’s grace and better cultivate Christian hope.
Happy Easter! Alleluia! He is Risen!
Banner Artwork “Alleluia” ©Jen Norton. https://www.JenNortonArtStudio.com . Used with permission.
