Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Happy and Blessed Easter to everyone.
So as has been my wont for the Lenten season culminating in the Three Days, I have been changing my Facebook cover photo to reflect the various events - Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and even Holy Saturday. Finding an appropriate photo amounted to simply Googling images for the day. -- Until Easter.
Suddenly, I am confronted not with pictures of the open tomb or a sparkly, risen Christ, but rather with dozens of images of Easter eggs and Easter bunnies, interspersed with family pictures that were taken on some Easter of the past, and of course, Easter Island. I got to the bottom of the page and clicked on 'view more images' only to get more eggs and bunnies and families and Easter Island.
Scrolling back up, I did find an appropriate picture amid all the others, which I finally posted. I had to ponder for a while to come up with an answer as to why it was so easy to find an image even for Tuesday of Holy Week and yet so hard to find a Christian expression for Easter. Finally I realised that while the Lenten Season and Holy Week are only religious in nature, Easter is as secular as Christmas for the majority of folks in North America. There is something safe and cuddly about Santa Claus and cute bunnies. There is nothing safe about the Incarnation and the Resurrection. The babe in the manger might be cuddly, but shortly after the birth, Herod slaughters every male child in Bethlehem under two years of age. We might be happy about new life in resurrection, but not so much about the pain and anguish and the crucifixion that goes before it. The mandate that Jesus gives us to love one another is not often warm and cuddly - more likely difficult and painful. The servant does not pick the master. We serve as Christ served; we love as Christ loved. It lead our Lord to his death on the cross; it has lead many Christians to death for witnessing to that Love.
Chocolate bunnies and jelly beans are eventually all eaten, but Love remains.
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