C. S. Lewis on Easter

 

The Easter Season extends through May this year. It never occurred to me that there is anything special about a lengthy Easter season until I read C. S. Lewis' book, The Joyful Christian.
(page 63ff, Parish Library)

For many of us, Easter is a Sunday only. On Monday we get on with business as usual. We do the same thing at Christmas, even though Christmas season lasts through Epiphany.

We think of Jesus appearing to a couple of women and a few apostles over a period of a few days. “Wrong!” says Prof. Lewis. Easter appearances extended over several weeks, and His appearances were granted to many.

I suspect we Episcopalians tend to put thoughts of resurrection -- our resurrection -- in the “Happy if it happens” file. This may be the sophisticated posture, but it is not acceptable to dedicated Christians.

The gospel, "the good news," was and is: “Jesus lives; He has risen from the dead, Hallelujah!”

The book of Acts reveals the first Christian sermons proclaiming the Resurrection. The apostles were those who had seen the risen Lord. This was the message that excited hundreds of Jews and Gentiles in cities throughout the Roman Empire .

I think C. S. Lewis enjoys making the Christian Faith plausible. More than that, I think he enjoys enticing us to enter into the mystery of our own resurrection. And even more than that, I believe he has discovered that the nearer we get to the truth of the gospel, the greater our experience of joy. And a final “more than that”: We experience the joy of the Holy Spirit at work in Lewis and in us.

 

Harold Strickland

 

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