We were walking up the hill from the shore yesterday and greeted a woman walking down the hill. The weather was pleasant, though a bit blustery. After several days of warm and sunny spring weather, it was apparent that the weather was changing. I rode my bike in the morning, and the kite skiers were out at the State Park. That means the winds are up as the kite skiers like the wind for their kites and the waves for playing. Conditions must have been just right. I counted seven kites and one windsurf board as I rode by. By afternoon, clouds were moving in with the wind, and there was a hint that the weather was changing. The woman we met as we walked greeted us with “Happy Easter!” I wished her “Happy Easter!” in response. We were strangers to each other, but since we walk a similar route most days, there are people whom we see, but do not yet know.

I wonder if the woman who greeted us sees Easter as a generic spring holiday that encompasses Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Day, and Easter Monday. Or was she anticipating today and issuing her greeting a bit early? Of course, I don’t need to know her theology or Holy Week practices to exchange warm greetings. However, with the secularization of society in general, I wonder.

Easter is a wonderful day of celebration in the church, but it is also a season. The season of Easter is 50 days on the church calendar. Having a season makes sense for my theology and practice. The Resurrection is a challenging concept, and it takes time to understand its meaning.

There was a time when our people thought that the Empire had won. Power was concentrated at the top, and a few wealthy persons had the ear of the leader. Ordinary people were frequently the victims of injustice. The wealth being amassed in the power centers came at the expense of everyday citizens' poverty. Illnesses were common, medical attention was costly, and early death came too often. For some revolutionary thinkers seeking a way to overthrow the domination of Caesar, Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was seen as a sign that political upheaval might be coming. Within a week, he had been crucified, his body raised on a cross as a sign to all that the empire held the power of life and death and could crush any movement that it saw as a threat.

Even though he had attempted to prepare his disciples for the experience, they were devastated. They were afraid for their safety. If Jesus could be crucified on charges of which he was innocent, was anybody safe? Following Jesus had been a hope-filled adventure, and now Jesus and hope were dead, laid in a borrowed tomb.

On Easter Day, we tell the stories of women who went to the tomb to anoint the body and discovered that the tomb was empty. We recall some of the earliest witnesses of the day, whose stories confused others. Over the next seven weeks, we’ll tell other stories of disciples walking with a stranger on the road to Emmaus, of Thomas who was unable to be with the other disciples when they experienced Jesus’ presence and who wanted to see with his won eyes, of followers trying to return to their previous occupation of fishing invited to breakfast on the shore. It is clear from the stories of our Scriptures that those who knew and loved Jesus had trouble recognizing and believing in the resurrection. Taking time to repeat the stories we have been telling for hundreds of years seems appropriate. Understanding the meaning of resurrection is as big a challenge for us as it was for Jesus’ first followers.

We can say several things that resurrection is not.

Resurrection is not the overthrowing of oppressive and unjust political leaders. Injustice remains. Witness is still necessary. The Roman domination of Israel did not end with Jesus’ resurrection. Injustice perpetrated upon innocents by the powerful continued.

Resurrection is not resuscitation. After the resurrection, Jesus’ closest friends didn’t recognize him. He did not look the same. The limits of the human body didn’t constrain his presence. They locked themselves in a room. He appeared. They walked alongside him and didn’t recognize him. They told stories of his presence, but not everyone shared the same experience. Jesus’ continuing presence was not restricted to the limits of the human body.

Resurrection is not the end of death, suffering, pain, or grief. Jesus’ followers are still mortal. We still mourn when those we love die. We still experience both physical and psychological pain. We struggle to interpret and survive trauma. Resurrection is not a magical “get out of death free” card.

There will be plenty of “Happy Easter” greetings today and in the future. After six weeks of Lent, I’m ready for a few Alleluias. I baked hot cross buns yesterday for our dinner today. The buns I baked are topped with crosses formed in the dough, not with frosting crosses as is common in the bakeries. As a concession to my age, I made them the day before instead of rising in the wee hours to complete baking yeast bread before time to go to church. Sweet bread, filled with raisins and coated with a sweet apricot glaze, is a rare treat in our house. They are part of a dinner that has been planned and will be prepared with care.

For me, however, Easter is much more than a day. I will still wake up in a nation gripped by a constitutional crisis. It remains to be seen whether democracy will survive in our time. The autocrats have incredible power and don’t seem to be restrained by the courts. The white house is being redecorated as a palace with unbelievable amounts of gold. The nation's wealth is being consolidated into the control of a few elites. Innocents are being killed without a sign of justice. Hope is hard to find on some days.

Resurrection is the cornerstone of my faith and theology, but it is difficult to explain or understand. I’m willing to accept its complexity for a while and allow its deeper meanings to emerge. I wish you “Happy Easter!” and pray that you, too, will allow time for life and hope to return.