Easter Blog

Happy Easter!  Easter is a major Christian holy day celebrating the “resurrection” of Jesus Christ after whom Christians pattern their lives.  Easter is a movable feast depending on the lunar calendar; it is normally celebrated on the Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox.  The reason for this is rather complicated but it is related to the Jewish celebration of Passover which is in fact being celebrated at roughly the same time this year.

Christianity has developed many complex ideas and theologies about the resurrection of Jesus ranging from profound reflections about the struggle with and victory over the forces of evil to ridiculous superstitions about the details of life after death.  There are no quick and easy ways to describe the meaning of resurrection.  The bible tells cryptic stories about the resurrection of Jesus which are filled with mystery, symbol and metaphor.  These stories cannot be understood as historical and scientific accounts.

At Trinity-St. Paul’s, we take our theology seriously.  We wrestle with the meaning of the death and resurrection of Jesus.  We acknowledge the injustice of the crucifixion and we see such injustice being repeated in the oppression and genocide of people in our world and also in the exploitation and destruction of the earth itself.  Our faith inspires us to struggle against injustice and to maintain a belief that the forces of evil will not get the best of us or of the world in which we live.  Resurrection speaks to us about victory over the forces of destruction and we celebrate this victory in the festival of Easter.

The Easter season lasts for seven weeks.  Come and join us in the celebration, in a Sunday service of worship or in one of the many activities at Trinity-St.Paul’s United Church and Centre for Faith Justice and the Arts.