The Meaning of Easter

“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” 1 Peter 1:24-25 NIV

Easter is the oldest and arguably the most important celebration in the Christian church, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion and death. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs after the vernal equinox, leading some to suggest that the holiday has pagan roots This idea is reinforced by the fact that the name of the holiday is connected to the Anglo-saxon word “Eostre,” which was the name of the goddess of Spring. The fertility symbols that have somehow accreted onto the modern holiday, such as eggs and rabbits, adds further credence to that view. However, early celebrations of Easter were clearly not about these pagan fertility symbols, but were intended to commemorate Jesus’ rising from the dead and ascending to heaven after his death. That the celebration takes place at a time when the cold, seemingly dead earth comes back to life at Springtime is perhaps a fortuitous reminder that there is something of a resurrection built into nature. The seed must die and be buried in the earth in order to spring back to life. Early Christians were encouraged by Jesus’ resurrection to believe that by dying with Christ in their heart they might, like the seeds in Spring, rise to new life in heaven. –Christopher Simon