Reflections on Easter

Yesterday was Easter and I got to thinking about it. The whole thing, to Christians, is the centerpiece of the faith. Jesus, the Son of God (or God made flesh, or the Word incarnate, etc.), spent three years telling of God's pact with mankind and demonstrating His love for mankind. Then he cinched the deal by suffering a profoundly long and painful death to atone for sin. The pain He endured was astonishing, expansive enough to atone for all sins.

Plus, death was the one thing only God would be able to overcome. So He did, to make His intentions clear and dispell any doubts about who it was that pulled it off.

Whatever your beliefs or skepticism, it's a great story. The violence is a little hard to take, but the point is pretty easy to get. All we mortals have to do is accept the deal and it only takes faith and a few chores, like going to church, praying (to let Him know everything's OK, if nothing else) and being decent to other people. God handles the rest.

Experience and skepticism are real and have to be reckoned with. Accepting a world of cheap death and jerks in charge of everything seems to be part of the deal, too, and is the toughest clause. It's a deal breaker for many of us.

But for this one day, I think of my family and my closest friends, who are committed Christians. They are really into it and it's the reality of my relationship with these people that I watch them work at their faith: going to church and being decent to people. (I don't see them pray.) So far, they're pretty good at it.

That is, they go to church and God knows they're pretty decent to me. Happy Easter, you guys!