THERE ARE MANY WAYS to understand Easter. But perhaps the essence of it is that life is greater than death. That life overcomes death. And that at the very center of things there is a goodness that transcends evil.

We are accosted by a seemingly endless variety of death and evil in our world. The rolling of tanks and the battering of missiles in Ukraine. The senseless tragedies of mass shootings in our land and the cowardice of political ‘leaders’ to confront rather than enable them. The lust for power that says, “We don’t care what you want and we don’t care what is right–we have power and we will use it and we will keep it.” The mob-boss talk that thrives on lies, and in threats of ‘death and destruction.’

But evil in the end is always small. And stupid. Disconnected from the most profound realities of life. And Easter reminds us to ally ourselves with life. With light. To believe in the rising of the sun, the turning of the earth and the seasons, the growth and promise of living things, and the goodness at the heart of things. And to know that, according to nearly every important faith and wisdom tradition, death is merely a passage into greater life.

Here at the Church O’ The Pines, we see and hear and feel life in abundance–from the calling and singing of birds to the growing of trees, the unlocking of a frozen river to the faithful returning of migrating friends, and the rising of those friends who will soon reappear out of the good earth. It is all about life, the power of life, the return of life. And the indomitable spirit of life. Here in the woods it is a Good Sabbath. Happy Easter, everyone!