Tales of Me and the Husband

happy easter!

Easter weekend is upon us, folks!  Any fine plans?  
The Hunts will be getting cleaned up, attending church, and eating a fine brunch very closely resembling last year’s.  Why mess with something that was darn near perfection if I do say so myself?!
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention today being Good Friday.  Growing up Catholic, this was a day for laying low and being prayerful… or at least, that was the rule in my house.  Especially as the three o’clock hour rolled around which is the hour in which, historically, Jesus took his last breath on the cross.  No matter what you believe, I think Easter is as fine a time as any to be grateful, to be present, to recognize something bigger than ourselves.
He is risen!
And while we’re on the subject of Easter (and for those of you who are apt to stick around), here’s an article Steve wrote for a newspaper a few years ago (I mean Dr. Hunt–I rarely get the chance to call him that.  I’m taking it!).  Let’s be honest, though.  Having it “published” here is a way bigger deal.  He got pretty excited when I approved it.
It’s really quite good.  But then again, I’m biased.
Why Easter is Good News for Everyone
A friend of mine once expressed frustration with his inability to believe the story of Jesus’ resurrection, the story of Easter. He saw his non-belief as some kind of final rejection of God. But he didn’t want it perceived that way or for God to take it personally; he just struggled to believe Jesus rose from the dead. I told him I believed the story of Easter is good news for Christians and non-Christians alike. In fact, I’m convinced it is a day for which everyone can be grateful, regardless of what they believe.
First, Christians have been celebrating this good news for nearly two thousand years. Indeed, it is the central proclamation of the faith. But why celebrate it as “good news”? The “good” part is simply this: Jesus’ resurrection shows that death is not the last word. That God intervened in history, in real time and space by raising his son from the dead, makes it “news” in a journalistic sense. Through this historical event we learn that God gave life to his son in part to show that he wants to give life—real, substantial and unending life—to us all. This was his intention in the first place. One might even begin to fancy that God can’t live without us. At least that might go some way toward explaining Good Friday.
The Easter event also shows more clearly than anything else that God is already in the process of setting
this broken world right. So it is then, according to Christian tradition, that the first Easter morning was the dawn of a new creation; it was “In the beginning” all over again on that first day of the week in the garden. And since this work was set into motion, Christians await the denouement while working toward its fulfillment. Thy kingdom come, we pray.
In this work also, death has been utterly vanquished, dealt a death-blow, if you will. Perhaps it was crushed under the weight of that stone which rolled from the tomb. Thus we need not live in fear, toiling in desperation, worrying that an inescapable, meaningless end awaits us, that the seeming non-existence before our birth merely foreshadowed the time after our death. Nor need we live frenetic, harried lives, simply attempting to repress thoughts about the inevitable. Instead, we ought to own up to this fact: we all die. Denial here creates quite a hangover at some point. Easter, however, provides the opportunity to slow down, to be grateful for what truly matters and for what God has done in Christ. This good news fills the hearts of Christians today.
But what about those who can’t put their trust in some pie-in-the-sky delusion? What about those who read the preceding paragraph and say, “talk about denial”? Can the story be good news for them?
If nothing else, Easter can be understood as a powerful mythic story, one that schools us in the power of hope. Doesn’t the story teach that if Jesus can begin again, having been rejected by his own people, abandoned by his disciples and murdered by imperialist overlords, so can the rest of us?
Doesn’t nature teach the same lesson? Spring itself—especially in New England—is a welcome reminder that life returns to barren, dormant trees. And so, after a time of deathly cold, the warmth of life can return to our living deaths as well. The sun always comes around again. We can begin again therefore and flourish. We don’t need to live life bound to destructive patterns of behavior or like we’re simply the sum total of our negative baggage because a new, vibrant life remains a possibility. Truth be told, that new life begins with hope.
So the story of Easter teaches everyone to hope, to hope that life can conquer death. And if hope is a first step towards faith, who knows where this journey will lead? Is not humankind’s infinite capacity to hold on, even in the darkest times, muffled evidence itself of Easter’s basic truth? To what, or better perhaps, to Whom shall we give credit for this innate and uniquely human strength?
Whether taken as historical fact, one which changes everything, or as mythic fiction, one which symbolizes the truth that hope springs eternal, the resurrection of Jesus is good news indeed. Happy
Easter.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  5. Every word i read resonated with a 'yes' in my soul! Well said dr. Hunt!!! well said bridg!!! So much love to you both. (So glad I checked your blog one of the first things this morning, friend.) Happy Easter… and… if I don't get to talk to you before … Have a wonderful time celebrating the life of Pop-Pop… and basking in the easter hope and promise of seeing him again.

    Reply

  10. @dancing branflake, i was stretching the truth a little about his 'excitement'. nevertheless, it's a great article and i wanted to share! 🙂

    Reply

  14. Happy Easter! What a wonderful season to celebrate life, and the lives of those we love, no longer with us. Praying for you and your family as you continue to greive over the loss of your grandfather.

    There is something so special about Easter, it makes me look to the heavens and long to physically be with those who have passed away. And yet, it also is so much to smile and sing praises for.

    I hope your heart is filled with joy, particularly as you introduce Parker to Easter for the first time!

    Reply

  18. This is wonderful! I love the way Steve presents the good news from two perspectives, neither bolstering nor diminishing the validity of either point of view.

    Happy Easter Hunt Family!

    Reply

  20. he has risen indeed!

    i'm generally not an emotional person, but if i ever cry in church it's at easter. i'm thankful everyday for jesus' resurrection, but the celebration with others is so powerful.

    wonderful article by dr. hunt 😉 i've bookmarked it for reference.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertise OnTales of Me and the Husband
Get Started