Easter 2015
April 4, 2015
Easter: The word is often attributed to Ishtar, the ancient goddess of fertility. It was thought that she was the power behind the springtime changes in all of nature as earth sheds its winter dormancy and new life breaks forth. Of course, now we know that spring time comes as the earth changes its orbit around the sun and the increased sunlight changes the seasons according to laws of nature designed by God at creation.
The meaning of the word changed drastically for the Jewish and Gentile converts to Christianity following the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead on the third day following His crucifixion. The resurrection occurred just days after the Jewish holiday of Passover. It became a religious holiday celebrated worldwide.
The post-modern era of today’s secularized world has robbed some of the spiritual meaning of the word and morphed it into a secularized, commercial event that signals more the break in academic studies at schools and the soon arrival of summer weather. It is celebrated with colored Easter eggs and chocolate bunnies. Both eggs and rabbits are symbols of fertility and reproduction, much in keeping with some of the more ancient rites of Ishtar worship.
Regardless of its historic beginnings, there is no holiday quite as bright, cheerful, hopeful and happy as Easter. For many it is a call back to their Christian foundations and spiritual roots. For others it is the celebration of life and the joy of the return of springtime after a long cold winter. To all, it should be a memorial to the power of Hope, Faith, Vision and Purpose.
Easter signals a restart; not simply a beginning, but another chance. Perhaps your recent past has been full of winter’s cold: Death, dormancy, despair, depression, disappointment. Well, let this Easter be the sparkplug to rouse you from your winter’s sleep and awake you to new opportunities. See your future through the springtime lens of new life blossoming from seemingly dead branches and let hope surge again. Allow yourself to dream again and awake from the slumber of self-pity.
Easter could be for you a “resurrection” from the grave of a dead marriage, a divorce or a failed business venture. It could be a deciding time to stop looking at the hurts of the past and to start looking at the possibilities of the future.
Easter reminds us that life offers 2nd, 3rd, 4th and often many more chances. Life is not a one and done game of chance. Easter brings hope that our greatest days of growth come after our periods of waiting and dormancy. After loss, stress, and the cold of winter, spring blossoms again with even greater growth than we saw before. Easter reminds us that the coldest and most severe of winters must eventually release its grip and give way to the laws of springtime. That is not only true in nature but also for us in our lives.
A dear friend of mine was being harshly attacked and criticized by several envious competitors. After a particularly rough day, a friend of his called him and asked, “Are you dead yet?” “Yes,” he responded despondently, “I feel that I’m dead inside.” “Good!” his friend replied, “Cause there can’t be a resurrection until there’s first a death.” That simple speech with its allusion to the resurrection of Christ from the tomb was like a surge of power and drive in my friend. He regrouped and came back to build the largest business of its kind in the world.
When all around is gloom and doom, and all you’ve built is torn down. When home is like a living tomb,
And your last smile is now a frown;
When friends have fled and foes bring dread,
And your life’s work lies in the dust;
When strength is gone to rise from bed,
And dreams you chased now seem a bust;
Then contemplate that Easter morn,
When long ago and crucified,
The Son of man, though virgin-born,
From on a cross where He had died,
When thunder clapped and Angels came
To roll away a stone that sealed
A tomb that once had held the same
The resurrected Christ revealed.
So too can you o’ercome your death,
And rise to mount in hope agleam,
To shed your winter’s chilling breath,
And resurrect your glorious dream.
I trust your Easter celebrations with family will also include some powerful recommitments to the dreams that you once held in your heart. Rise up and dream big and let’s do great things together.
