Wisdom Story: The Meaning of Easter by Meagan Henry

As a Unitarian Universalist Religious Educator I’ve been asked many questions about our religion. I’ve been fascinated by religion for most of my life, so I find these questions interesting, and sometimes complicated and hard to answer. I’d say one of the most challenging for me has always been the Easter question. Many of us do not believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus. Well then, what DO we believe about Easter and why do we celebrate it?

 

First, Easter is a spring festival. Long ago, people did not know if spring would come again. Many thought the winter would never end, so when the days began getting longer, the earth began to warm, and the sun shone brightly, it was reason to celebrate. We too celebrate the coming of spring with the warmth and beauty and flowers it brings. As I was walking in the Brooklyn botanic garden yesterday, I remembered again how much I love this time of year and what a blessing it is to bear witness to the cycles of nature. It does seem that the earth is coming alive again!

 

Our Jewish members and friends observe Passover at this time of year. It commemorates the escape of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt over 3500 years ago.  Jesus went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. It was this time when he was arrested and killed. Some of our Christian members and friends believe that on the third day after his death Jesus came alive again and that he physically left the tomb, visited his disciples, and then went to Heaven to be with God.

 

Easter is a time to think about the meaning of life and death. We do not know for certain what comes after death. But one thing we do know is that memories of people we love live on long after they have died.

 

I cannot speak for all Unitarian Universalists, of course, but this is what I believe happened in Palestine over 2000 years ago. Jesus was killed because some people were afraid he would overthrow the government and some other people were afraid he would change their religious ways.

 

Jesus’ followers loved him so much that they could not forget him after he died. Stories began to spread that so good a man could not be dead, that he must still be alive, that he had risen from the dead. And his friends truly felt his spirit; they felt his presence with them. They experienced him as being alive. And they wanted to share this experience with others.

 

These followers of Jesus told the miraculous stories about him rising from the dead so everyone would know what they knew – that he was a great man and teacher who taught them to love one another. They wanted everyone to feel Jesus’ loving presence in their lives.

 

Today some of us do not believe that these miraculous stories are really literally true. But they do show us what a strong influence Jesus had. And we do know enough about Jesus to admire him for his life example and his teachings. He was a great man who taught people to LOVE in new and deeper ways. He taught people to love even their enemies. I can’t think of a more important thing to teach or to learn. On Easter, Unitarian Universalists remember Jesus and his message of love that could not die.

 

Let us live our lives so that we to bring love and joy to those around us. Let us rejoice in memories of love. And let us celebrate new life all around us.

 

 

 ~ Written by Meagan Henry and based on A Letter to Unitarian Children by Richard Gilbert