I’m not a person of faith anymore, so why am I wishing people a happy Easter? I think it’s because while I can no longer get behind the belief in the supernatural aspects of Jesus, including rising from the dead which is what Easter is all about celebrating, I do still believe in the message.
I don’t know if there was ever a man named Jesus 2,000 years ago in the Middle East who taught a radical new theology, was crucified for it, and rose from the dead. In fact, I kind of doubt there was, especially the last part. But what I do believe is that the texts of the Bible, in particular the New Testament, were told and written by people a long time ago. The messages that do resonate with me were those of love, forgiveness, passion for our beliefs, sacrifice for others, belief in things greater than us, and in the end, hope.
Love, forgiveness, passion, sacrifice, belief in something greater, and hope.
These are the things I still carry with me even among the stuff I no longer believe happened. I believe in the metaphorical Jesus whose story was told to emphasize those traits to the people of that region in that time and whose story was so compelling it surrounded the world over time.
To me this is the message of Easter that is truly compelling even in 2022. We have an obligation as people of the world to love one another, treat every human with respect, give freely from our blessings, sacrifice of ourselves for the greater good, and in the end, an undying hope for humanity and the world we live in.
Happy Easter, friends.
Happy Easter Jeremy! To you and all your loved ones, may you continue to be blessed.
Thank you! Happy Easter to you and yours as well. 🙂