Notice too, that Easter is
always about the same time as the Jewish Passover. In fact, that was what Easter was originally
called, Pascha, meaning “Passover” in Greek. Pascha is derived from the Hebrew word Pesach
for Passover. In Spanish, Easter is Pascua. In Romanian, it is called Anastasis,
which means “resurrection” in Greek!
So you may have also wondered, then how
did we get the word “Easter” for Easter?
Well, as early Christianity spread into
northern Europe, it incorporated many folk & cultural traditions. The word “Easter” actually comes from the
ancient Anglo Saxon / Nordic goddess of the Spring, Eoster. Celebrations to her were held in April, &
included eggs, rabbits, egg hunts, flowers, lots of food including ham! Eventually the celebrations to Eoster became
part of Pascha, and here we are centuries later with eggs, butterflies, rabbits
and flowers and all as part of Easter celebrations!
All these things are symbols
of new life. Transformation. Triumph.
Recovery. Awakening. Resurrection!
This Byzantine icon is very ancient. It is called “Anastasis” meaning,
“Resurrection“. It is one of my
favorite icons. It is also known as Christ’s
Resurrection and the Harrowing of Hell.
In it you see Christ rising out of the depths Hades, or hell. The picture tells the story of the risen
Christ, with Jesus rescuing Adam and Eve from the depths of hell &
defeating Satan. It also depicts the
Apostles Creed, “He descended into hell, on the third day he rose again…”
This icon hangs on the wall
of one of the rooms in my house. One
day, I had a guest over, and as he looked at the icon he asked, “What's the deal with this picture?”
I responded, “It tells a
story. Have you ever felt like you have
been in the depths of hell, a time of extreme darkness and pain in your
life? And then somehow miraculously made
it out of there? He looked at me thoughtfully and nodded. You see, my friend had battled drug
addiction.
Our own resurrection stories
are many; I am sure many of you have had
your own resurrection experiences. Facing death & healing from a major
life threatening illness or injury. Enduring
& surviving war, combat, or some other traumatic event, going through the pain of
the loss of a loved one…. the list goes
on.
And from these life events, we
are no longer the same person. We see
things differently. We are changed. Transformed.
Christ’s resurrection is a mystery. As we know,
not everything can be explained. Or
understood. But on a very deep level, we
all experience the mystery of the resurrection.
In Matthew’s gospel story, Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary find Jesus’ tomb empty. An angel appears to them, and reassures them
saying, “Do not be afraid!”
And when the women leave to
tell the disciples what had happened, Jesus himself appears before them and
says…. “Do not be afraid!”
But when the angels say
“Do not be afraid, or when Jesus says “Fear not”, it is not assurance that
nothing will go wrong, because as we know, often times, things DO go wrong.
Rather, it is the
assurance that whatever may happen to us, whatever a day may hold, God has the
power to strengthen us & uphold us, that whatever we must face, we do not
face it alone. Nothing we encounter is
stronger than God’s love.
But as we know, the road to
Easter goes thru Good Friday.
A grandmother tells this story… “I personally witnessed an
amazing example of resurrection hope in the midst of suffering through my
granddaughter Jessica. When she was a sophomore in high school, she began to
experience some tiredness and pain. Her mother took her to the doctor. The news
was devastating. Jessica had leukemia. The prognosis was not good. When Jessica was
diagnosed with leukemia, she knew that death was a possibility. She had to face
the prospect that at age fifteen, her life might be cut short. Yet the hope of
resurrection was clear in her testimony, as expressed in her journal":
“God is in control of all things! He has a plan for me that is being carried out as I write this. Angels are watching over me. What have I to fear? Death? That is only one more step to HEAVEN! GOD IS IN CONTROL!”
Yes, the road to Easter goes thru Good Friday.
Out of the darkest of days...comes new life.
Be not afraid!
Christ is Risen! Christ
is Risen! Christ is Risen!
Amen!
[Note: This was the Easter sermon given at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Casa Grande, April 20, 2014.]
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