I was watching a news story about an expanse of land in a certain war-torn country. The reporter commented that when he first arrived in-country, it was just an open field. Then, almost overnight, it became a bustling tent city, filled with refugees from the brutal war. Just as suddenly, the refugees were gone, and the camp was abandoned like a ghost town. Then came the heavy equipment, plowing under everything that was left behind. Now the area was just an open field again.Each spring, we see a similar cycle repeat itself. Nature recycles itself, and I am reminded of the Easter messages and teacher in my church. We are often reminded that the word "Easter" never appears in the Bible, and how it was derived from Eostre, the Old English name for the Germanic fertility goddess whose feast was celebrated at the spring equinox. As the early Christian church grew, this feast was incorporated into the church tradition of celebration Christ's resurrection. The fertility celebration got dressed in a frilly bonnet, the holiday was given a new set of icons like painted eggs and fluffy chicks and bunnies, and the whole deal was sold to us through the centuries as the celebrations of New Life. The obvious implication saddens me. But on another level, I don't find the mythos completely useless. And certainly the Easter message is never out of seasons. We need only to remember what is and what is not real about the New Life we celebrate.
Christ is, was, and ever shall be the New Life. He came and lived among us. He was crucified, dead, and buried. But He didn't stay there. He rose, He lives, and He invites us to enter into New Life with Him.
Now, I know I can never prove this to the satisfaction of the mocker and the scorner. The only proof I have is the belief in my mind (Ephesians 4: 23), the faith in my heart, and most importantly, the evidence of newness in my life..."which is renewed in knowledge after the image fo Him that created him" (Colossians 3: 10).
So friends, I invite you to "Be All You Can Be" as children of the Most High God. Be a new creature (II Corinthians 5: 17). Walk in the newness of life (Romans 6: 4).