Good morning/afternoon and a very glorious and happy Easter weekend to all of you. It is a special time for sure. Yes, let the Easter season be joyous despite all that many have endured of late such as inflation, lawlessness, on-and-off tariffs and ceaseless post-election backwash that you can’t avoid unless living in a cave. If that.

Let’s put incendiary narratives — of which there are many — to the side for a while. Instead, how about all of us relishing time today and Sunday with family members and friends. Especially — seriously — since egg prices have sort of recovered.

If you have children and grandchildren, enjoy them. Delight in their tearing gleefully into their Easter baskets for goodies and treats. And, of course, don’t forgot to enjoy a jelly bean or dozen for yourself. Just save room for a scrumptious dinner that many of you will enjoy on Sunday.

Appreciate the efforts of community groups holding or have held Easter-related events such as egg hunts. It is a throwback when so many of us couldn’t wait to track down eggs. It’s plain cool and timeless to see children scurrying after the treats. Even if the weather isn’t cooperating. Kids gladly swap some slop and mud for treats. It’s plain cool and timeless to color hard-boiled eggs with the kids. Just like we did so many years ago. It’s plain cool and timeless to watch kids pet and cuddle bunnies. Many for the very first time.

Appreciate the religious service that your church will offer. Celebrate a strong faith if you have one. If not, respect those who do abide their faith.

Indeed, it is a very special time. Some 2,000 years ago, an itinerant preacher in the Middle East was crucified for, as his executioners put it, claiming to be a king.

There was no immediate worldwide news coverage of the event. There were no live images beamed to televisions, tablets and cell phones around the world. No tweets, no texts, no Facebook posts carrying the news of his execution at the hands of the powerful Roman state at the request of the Hebrew state under its control. There were no 24-hour news channels and no grim-faced anchormen and women providing background. There was no analysis from hundreds of “experts” who were interviewed for days on end to put the event into “perspective.” Yes, and certainly no fake news.

Yet, the words of this rabbi and the story of his death and his resurrection, which Christians will celebrate tomorrow, Easter Sunday, have resonated across the millennia.

They represent a road map toward change in the world, change in the way human beings treat each other and change in the priorities people and nations and states set for themselves. They offer hope to a world that continually faces the madness of wars, disease, disasters and destruction.

It is in that spirit of hope, that Jesus Christ broke the bonds of death to prove there is life after life and to show the way toward something greater than the here and now, that we present these verses from the Gospel of St. Luke today:

(The story of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as told in the New American Standard Bible, Luke 24)

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.

And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the Living One among the dead?

“He is not here, but He has risen.

Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”

And they remembered His words, and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the 11 and to all the rest.

Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.

But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them.

But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.

Easter lilies to those of all faiths and beliefs unified this weekend especially tomorrow during this holiest of days. Like Christmas, there is a singular reason for Easter. Let’s not forget that on Sunday while we are carving up the ham and sneaking a bite of the kids’ chocolate bunnies. And — again — if you do not feel likewise, at least respect those who carry a strong faith. Not, of course, to be confused with the hypocrites out there of which there are aplenty.

We wish all of your reading this a joyous Easter and thank you for your support of your local newspaper. It is appreciated. We like to think that reading newspapers in an otherwise oft-overwhelming and downright confusing tech information age is still cool and timeless.