Easter comes with rising hope for the world

The symbolism and significance of Easter as a season of hope has never been more meaningful.

The symbolism and significance of Easter as a season of hope has never been more meaningful, as the world begins its comeback from 13 months of a global pandemic.

For Christians across the United States, Easter services reflect an extra measure of joy as the nation experiences optimism due to rising vaccination and immunity numbers.

Even while observing restrictions, many churches were expecting to draw the largest numbers of in-person worshippers in months, the Associated Press reported last week.

“It almost feels like we’ve been in Lent for a year, and we are ready for Easter,” Houston pastor the Rev. Meredith Mills told AP.

This time of year encompasses a number of significant religious observances. Easter is being celebrated today by mainstream Christian churches around the world. Greek Orthodox congregations which follow a different calendar will celebrate Easter on May 2. Jews observed Passover during this past week, and Muslims will enter the holy month of Ramadan in about two weeks.

In every faith, religious communities have been dramatically affected by shutdowns and quarantines during the past year. Locally, many churches remain tentative about reopening and are continuing with virtual services, adding outdoor worship, weather permitting, for Easter Sunday only.

Many churches have elderly members who are the most vulnerable to COVID, fueling the need for caution in reopening. But older adults are also in the category most likely to have already been vaccinated, which is providing some sense of safety and confidence to reopening sanctuaries.

A nationwide survey conducted by Pew Research Center in the leadup to Easter and Passover found that Americans are increasingly confident they can safely go to services at a church, temple, mosque or other house of worship. (The same survey found that roughly one-quarter of U.S. adults say their faith has been strengthened by the coronavirus pandemic, while 4% say their faith has grown weaker. The remainder say their faith has not changed much, including 23% who say they were not religious to begin with and still are not religious).

Still, the situation in U.S. congregations remains far from ordinary, and this promises to be the second consecutive highly atypical Easter season for Christians.

Outdoor sunrise services are being held with masks and social distancing, and other services are being held with distancing and “bring your own” communion sacraments of bread and wine.

Whether seated in lawn chairs outside a church or in a park for sunrise — or watching on Zoom — the religious celebration of the Resurrection represents a miracle even more central to the Christian faith than the Christmas miracle of Jesus birth.

Easter represents the risen Christ, the new life after death as told in the New Testament. In Mark 16:5-7, an angel explains: “As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. ‘You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen!’”

Easter Sunday comes a year after the nation was in lockdown, the economy in freefall, as the world was in the grip of the COVID pandemic. Even among those not connected to any religion, there is a common hope and awakening from those dark times that is brought on by the science of vaccines and immunity from a virus that has ravaged the world.

This year’s “miracle” comes from science in the form of vaccines formulated in record time with millions of doses being rolled out across the nation. For Christians, it comes as well with the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection and the promise of renewal that Easter brings every year.

The promise of new life is evident for all in this season of spring. May the hope of a brighter day ahead be an inspiration to all.