Easter

EASTER By George D. Kirby No country in possession of the gospel of Jesus Christ is unmindful of Easter day. It comes as a commemoration of a most im- portant and significant event. It means new life for mankind; that even the grave cannot bind forever what Christ has said shall rise. It may well signify the reanimation in our hearts of all that is good and worthy. We rejoice in honoring the name of Jesus Christ, who we be- lieve to be the divine son of the eternal God, and through whom we ourselves hope to rise to a divine kingdom. Our religion is not the dark and gloomy thing of the past, designed to scourge humanity into the straight and narrow path, but rather the gospel of love set like a star to guide men through this world and into the home of glory above. Easter is the message of life rather than of death. Man should consider himself mortal at Easter time and behold in the risen Christ his only hope of immortality; he should rise to the standard of Christ's life and works. Easter bids us to see the divine possibilities of man- hood; to stimulate our lives by the help of the Lord who conquers death; to arouse our energies unto the things of the risen life. The scope of the Easter festival is divided into two sections, the time before and after Easter. The time before Easter points to the conflict of this present life; the time after, to the blessedness which we can obtain through obedience to the laws and ordinances of God. The Lord's passion shows us the present life of sorrow. The resur- rection and glorification of the Lord shows the life which we shall receive. Jesus came into the world to reveal to us that we were not placed here for the mere contemplation of creature comfort, creature glory and compromise with evil; but rather that we might rise above these things to the sense- of that which is spiritual, in seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and learning to pray from a heart full of gratitude: "Our Father, thy kingdom be my kingdom, thy purpose be my purpose, and thy will be my will." That is why the rugged fishermen of Galilee were his friends and followers; they loved him, as did the little children and the pure-hearted women of his day. And as Eastertide returns each year, we recall the last great tragedy which closed the mortal career of the Savior of mankind, and the love and devotion displayed by those humble, bereaved disciples who fol- lowed on that pilgrimage, as he stumbled along beneath the weight of the cross. It was that same love which kept Mary lingering at the sepulchre; it was unbelief that kept her weeping. Again and again

EASTER 4^5 Jesus had told his disciples that he was to be crucified, and that he should arise again on the third day. But this was so contrary to their old beliefs that they could not understand it. We, too, are very slow to grasp the glorious significance of our Master's words, and so are often weeping when we should be rejoicing. The report of the resurrection spread rapidly and its truthfulness was attested in many ways. The Christ who died was now acclaimed alive, and his fol- lowers were overjoyed with the actuality of a living Savior. The great fact that Jesus Christ, the first-born of our Heavenly Father's spirit children, the only begotten son in the flesh, atoned with his life for the sins of mankind; and arose again on the third day, an immortal being, as the first fruits of the resurrection, makes Easter the queen of festivals. We rejoice in the fact that we have not only these natural bodies, but spiritual bodies as well; in the assurance of the resurrection from the dead; in the hope of eternal life. The promises of the Lord are based upon the spirit dominating the ma- terial; the higher man overcoming the lower man; the victory of the better nature. "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is planted in the Paradise of God. I will give to him to eat of the hidden manna and he shall be clothed in white raiment, and I will not blot his name from the Lamb's book of life. I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and I will grant to him to sit with me in my throne." These are the words of the Savior. Let Easter come with all its gladness, but let our thoughts be upon Jesus Christ who came to save us from our sins, and who gave his life to make our redemption sure. Let our thoughts be upon the promises given through this risen life. This will make Easter mean something of worth to us, and life will spend its days in praise of the central figure of the Easter day. "What a wonderful, beautiful story Is mutely proclaimed to-day: How the loves of the world and its glory End not 'neath a mound of clay! "The palms and the Easter lilies, Grouped round the chancel rail, The roll of the organ all breathing Of the love that cannot fail; "The peeping pink of the orchards, The whir of the waking bees, The promise of bloom in the lilacs, The glimpse of green 'mong the trees; "The something within us — reaching For a promise clear and plain — Prove stronger than scriptural teachings. That we sleep to arise again." — Adele E. Shaw. Sugar City, Idaho