Easter
Resurrection: Myth and Metaphor speak to our hearts.

Hope is the thing with feathers 
That perches in the soul, 
And sings the tune without the words, 
And never stops at all, 
 
And sweetest in the gale is heard;         
And sore must be the storm 
That could abash the little bird 
That kept so many warm. 
 
I’ve heard it in the chillest land, 
And on the strangest sea;       
Yet, never, in extremity, 
It asked a crumb of me.

- Emily Dickinson

I'm sharing this, one of my favorite poems,
   on this Easter Sunday morning
      because I feel it expresses well
         what Easter is all about for me.

In a word, it's all about hope.

Yes, of course Easter is a myth.

The entire story of Jesus
   is steeped in mythology.

Remember that the term, mythology,
   simply refers to stories that involve
       supernatural intervention,
           gods, goddesses and heroes,
                and they tell the stories
                    of events that are not
                        historically verifiable.

The whole story of Jesus
   as presented in the New Testament
       is a story of divine intervention.

The only uncontested records we have
    of that story
        are told to convince us
            of religious truths.

So the story as a whole is unverifiable.

That does not in any way diminish the value
     of the story
         any more than the word mythology
              means that it didn't happen.

It just means we cannot prove anything
      about what really happened.

Something may well have happened,
     but because the mythology describes events
          that cannot be verified
                we may never know
                      exactly what happened.

And yet the hope that Easter inspires is real,
   just as any true and uplifting story
       can build hope in our hearts.

A myth is true
      if it helps us understand better
            who and how we are
                    and where we are going.

A metaphor is true
       if it provides greater clarity
             to some aspect of our experience.

The Easter story is surely a true story
    in the sense of helping us understand
        our identity as human beings
             and our ultimate destination (teleology).

The resurrection metaphor is true
     in the sense of clarity concerning
          our individual
              and collective
                  self awareness.

In my own understanding,
   the Easter story,
      as the culmination of the Jesus story,
          is the most deeply true
              of all myths and metaphors.

Let me back up just a bit.

The Jesus story has a place
    in many people's hearts,
       not just because it is in the Bible,
           but also because it is
               a great and powerful story
                    in its own right.

Jesus lives in your heart if you love His story.

Maybe Frodo lives in your heart, too,
    or maybe Harry Potter.

Maybe even Luke Skywalker!

I certainly do not mean to belittle
     any of these great characters of literature.

The analogy may simply
    help us understand the process.

Great literature has a powerful effect
   on all of us.

Many times, the characters of great stories
    feel real to us, helping us draw meaning
         from the events of our own lives.

For me, again, the greatest of all stories
    is the story of Jesus.

It has been told from four (and more)
    different points of view.

The different ways of telling the story
    provide more than different ideas.

They sometimes even contradict each other.

More importantly, each Gospel
    appears to look at the story
        from a different direction.

What seems to emerge
   is more than a well rounded portrait.

It's more like a hologram.

A personality emerges, 
    a Person whom we can get to know.

The universal Christ
   is a spiritual reality
      that is different for every individual.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin wrote,
    "The supremely personal
          is the universal Christ. "

The Easter event or story (or myth)
   is what plants that personality
      or concept
          in our hearts.

You don't have to believe the details.

You don't have to accept any doctrine.

Just enjoy the story.

In it you will find hope
   because it portrays a deeply personal reality
        that is also universal in human hearts.

There is always a new beginning.

That is the heart of the matter.

Weeping may endure for a night,
    but joy comes in the morning. (Ps. 30:5)

Even for the cause of our weeping,
    there just may be a new beginning.

Our perceptions of things can change.

Love is stronger than death.
    (Song of Songs or Song of Solomon 8:6)

Many of us have actual, personal experiences
   that bear witness to the truth
       that love is stronger than death.

That reality alone is enough to live out
    the meaning of the Easter myth,
         the power of the resurrection metaphor.

And yet, I believe, there is more.

Life itself is stronger than death.

Consciousness is not extinguished
    by mortality.

We feel this intuitively,
    and that may be wishful thinking.

At the same time,
    I have an inkling that it is more than that.

Of course, I can't prove it.

If I could, even to myself,
   I would not be as much of an agnostic as I am.

At the same time,
    many things are true that we cannot prove.

Many things can only be known intuitively.

Those things do not appear - or belong -
                 in a science class.

They do appear -
  -  and they do belong -
        in a Literature class
              for they do appear in all kinds
                  of great literature, past and present.

The Easter story is the culmination
    of what has been called
           the greatest story ever told.

I'm not sure I agree with that,
      even though I am a Christian of some sort.

At least I do believe that it is
     the greatest story ever SOLD,
           and that selling is continuing to this day.

Yet it is a great story!

Easter is a sign of hope,
    even as a festival and holy day of Spring.

Passover is similarly a sign and story of hope,
    and, like Easter, it is a lunar Spring festival.

It involves the rebirth of a nation,
    and the hope that comes
         from the Passover story
             is meant for everyone.

Easter is the story of the rebirth
     of a Redeemer,
          and, likewise, its hope
              is meant for everyone.

Eggs, bunnies and lilies are signs of rebirth,
     and each one points to a reality 
           beyond itself.

Springtime is a natural rebirth
      that can be an emblem of hope
           in every human heart.

That is worthy of celebration!

What we may or may not believe in can be real,
     whether we believe in it or not.

Good things are coming,
    no matter the appearances,
         and it is possible to hold on to that hope
              without limitation.

We may be foolish if we do so,
   but I would much prefer to be foolish
       in the name of hope
           than foolish in the name of despair.

Albert Einstein was one of the greatest minds
    in natural science -
       and he was also deeply mystical.

Upon hearing of the death of a good friend,
    he wrote to his friend's family:

“Now he has departed from this strange world
  a little ahead of me.
   That means nothing.
    People like us, who believe in physics,
     know that the distinction
      between past, present, and future
       is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.”

I can only speak for myself,
    but I find in those words
        an expression of the hope
             I find also in the Easter story.

There is more to this world
   and more to life and death
       than meets the eye.

We have not even well conceived an idea
    of ultimate reality
        even though we live and breathe in it
            every moment of every day.

Great stories remind us of this,
    and the story of Christ's resurrection 
        is among the greatest.

If the Crucified God can rise again,
   then maybe, just maybe, so can I,
        and so can you,
             even if the rising again
                  is simply out of despair and into hope.

That alone makes Easter a great story,
    a worthy myth,
         and resurrection a powerful metaphor.

Amen
Ameen
Omeyn
So Mote it Be

Blessed be!