“The Call of … Lent,” La Canada Valley Sun, February 25, 2010

The Call of … Lent is the La Cañada Valley Sun’s Lenten series on the messages of Christ’s death and resurrection as interpreted by area religious leaders. The following is the second article in this series. You can also click here to see the article in the on-line edition of the Valley Sun.

Easter promises life, rather than death

The tradition of Lent, with its customary prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, leading up to Easter, is observed by many Christian denominations. Over the years, individual church practices during Lent have evolved, and today some churches do not specifically celebrate a Lenten season. Such is the case with my own church, where Easter is nevertheless an important occasion of promise and fulfilment, a message about life rather than death.

Jesus was surrounded by opposition. Established society of the time, envious of his popularity, believed they could kill him; but he knew that his real life was in God and could not be destroyed. On the cross, he proclaimed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23), knowing that God’s love reigns even for those in the mob who do not realize the spiritual peace they each already possess. His complete understanding of God’s love allowed him to raise himself from the tomb, proving that no amount of evil could overtake life bestowed by God.

Subsequently he instructed his followers, with whom each of us can identify, to go out into the world and follow his teachings, demonstrating the ultimate impotence of evil. As he had said earlier, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10).

Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, wrote in her Easter Message for 1902: “May this glad Easter morn find the members of this dear church having a pure peace, a fresh joy … and an awakened sense of the risen Christ. May long lines of light span the horizon of their hope and brighten their faith with a dawn that knows no twilight and no night.”

Thus we look towards Easter as a hope for the world, a statement of assurance that God governs our lives in every circumstance. We can sense some of the profound joy that must have greeted Mary Magdalene and Jesus’ other followers when they discovered that their Master had risen. This strengthened them to realize God’s love more fully, and it can us, too.

— Graham Bothwell