The story of the resurrection is a simple story. In the context of the Jewish Passover, Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples, a meal that commemorates the releasing of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. During that meal, Jesus takes bread and wine and transforms them into his body and blood and even more remarkably tells his disciples to replicate what he is doing through the ages. Likewise, they are to imitate his life of service of one to another.

That night he is captured. The next day he is crucified. He was accused of being unfaithful to the Jewish laws and traditions, accused of making himself into God, accused of being a rabble rouser. He is crucified for his so-called evil deeds.

A few days later, he rises from the dead, miraculously, while even his closest disciples have a hard time understanding how this could have happened.

The stories of Holy Thursday and Good Friday are all about what Jesus did, said, and suffered. The stories about the resurrection tell what happened to Jesus, but the stories reflect even more the reactions of others to what Jesus did. Even his closest followers are incredulous. They do not know what to say, do or believe.

Mary Magdalene wanted to touch Jesus. Thomas would not believe unless he could touch Jesus. The women were told to hurry and tell the others what happened. The disciples on the road to Emmaus had their eyes opened when they listened to Jesus. This section of the Gospels focuses on reactions to Jesus and his resurrection from the dead.

So, how do we fit into this picture? Society has done an excellent job in secularizing into oblivion the word Easter with bunnies, egg hunts, peeps and solid chocolate rabbits. The next step is obliterating the word, Easter. That eradication process has already begun - many schools and other environments are changing the word Easter into spring. All of this is just one more nail in Christianity’s coffin.

So, just as Jesus rose from his “coffin,” we too must make Our Easter come alive not only in our hearts but in our lives. How can we describe the core reality of Easter, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead?

The resurrection is a one-time event meant to spread throughout the whole world. History did not end with the discovery of America. A baby’s gift of speech does not stop with the first words uttered.

The resurrection of Jesus did not stop on that Easter morn. Rather, the resurrection of Jesus brings new life to the world, the hope of everlasting life, the promise of a future filled with hope. The resurrection of Jesus should invigorate our lives. The growth of our relationship with Jesus should never end with an occasional appearance in church.

The resurrection should enliven our daily activities and be celebrated each Sunday. The resurrection comes alive each time we celebrate a sacrament; the resurrection is fulfilled when we baptize a person. The resurrection is celebrated as we celebrate the Eucharist. And, yes, the resurrection brings life when we bring someone to church for burial.

Christ is risen. There is no need to fear. Christ is risen – Alleluia. Christ is risen – we now have the fullness of life. Christ is risen – live fully our gift of life.