Enduring the Cross

If you go to church on Easter Sunday, you will likely be greeted with the Christian equivalent of a high five: “He is risen” and its reply: “He is risen indeed.”

Christians are celebrating, again.

Wasn’t it just yesterday we were telling the world that, “the people walking in darkness have seen a great light,” and of choirs of angels?

Unlike that proclaimed by Kool and the Gang, “A celebration to last throughout the years” which extolled the creation of humankind, this celebration is transcendent.

Easter celebration has been likened to the triumphal march of a victorious commander leading their troops with pomp and ceremony, followed by freed prisoners of war, and subdued enemies, disarmed and captive.

Nevertheless, why celebrate?

Go to church on Easter Sunday and you will learn about transgression, chastisement, propitiation, and atonement.

You will hear that humankind’s failure to achieve righteousness is not the permanent state of our species.

Our story is not over.

There is light at the end of our tunnel, because Jesus died and rose from the grave.

That Light is the New Life of humankind, not of biological process, but divine fiat and therefore as eternal as its Source. This is good news.

Christians all over the world rejoice because full reparation has been made possible for all people for all offences against God.  God’s initiative to reconcile us to Himself through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is true.

We at EMAS Canada, join millions of fellow believers in Easter Celebrations.

This joy comes at an unimaginable cost, Jesus endured an extremely humiliating death, ignoring the public shame of execution on a cross, but the result is that everyone can be reconciled to God.

Go to church on Easter Sunday.

Take a friend, and understand what C. S. Lewis means when he says, “When a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards.”