GROWING callousness in the hearts of men, a proliferation of wicked acts, and the trivialising of the preaching of the Church, are among the reasons why Easter remains increasingly relevant today, religious leaders say.

Easter, also called Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Presiding bishop of the Christian Holiness Church in Jamaica, Rev Dr Alvin Bailey told the Jamaica Observer that the death of Jesus is God’s redemptive provision for mankind to be made right in His sight.

“Easter is that time on the Christian calendar when we celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ; His death by crucifixion, and the glorious resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead — as the Bible teaches — for the sins of humanity so that the sins of humankind might be forgiven by God,” he said.

“It is extremely relevant in today’s society. As evil and sin increase, and men and humankind become more desperate for the things of life, behaviour becomes more decadent and there’s insensitivity and cruelty in the world. We see the need, more and more, for God’s redemption to be brought to the hearts of humankind so that life and health and holiness and sensitivity can be brought back to humankind. So, as the world becomes more wicked and cruelty increases, the need for the salvation of humanity becomes more relevant and is needed,” Bailey continued.

Bailey said the main takeaway from the holy period is the fact that while modernity is on the increase and the things of God and the Church become less important in the eyes of the world and in the face of commercialisation, the death of Jesus Christ is still celebrated on the calendar as a time when the world pauses to recognise the period.

“And the fact that it happened so many years ago, yet it remains relevant in the eyes of many; and although much has been done to disengage humanity from the main focus, it still remains the main focus of the Church; and even the average person who pauses to recognise that time in history, where somebody was presented as the saviour of the world [are factors one canot ignore],” Bailey told the Sunday Observer.

“We believe as Christians that the real hope for transformation to our life, to our society, to our community, is in the provision of God’s redemptive grace and power that is possible in the life of humanity to bring newness and a difference to the life of many. Families can be changed and be better. Individuals that society has given up on can be different if one exercises faith in this historical event.”

Rev Garth Minott, deputy president of the United Theological College of the West Indies, said that apart from Christmas, Easter is one of the chief celebrations on the Christian calendar.

“Easter is the event which marks the Christian celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Since the first century of this era, often referred to as AD, followers of Jesus have chosen this time of year to celebrate as not only does it coincide with the Jewish Passover, it also marks the beginning of the season of spring,” he shared.

“The spring observance is the reason some argue that Easter is a pagan celebration. However both events symbolise life, which is at the heart of the Easter celebration with the message that God restored Jesus to life following his death on a cross and burial on Good Friday. Put together, these and other activities are observed as the Tridiuum or three days of observances, beginning on Holy Thursday with the commemoration of Jesus’s final meal (Last Supper) with his disciples.”

Minott told the Sunday Observer that Good Friday highlights Jesus’s trial, sentence to death and burial, and the Saturday is observed as the body resting in the tomb.

“Celebrations of Easter or the Christian Pascha, with the metaphorical Paschal Lamb sacrificed at Passover, now said to be victorious over death, begins on Saturday anytime after 6:00 pm, with the Easter vigil or a service where light plays a significant role to symbolise that Jesus is the light of the world. This celebration of Easter is of such importance to Christians,” he said, noting that it is not just for a day but for 50 days, culminating in the observance of Pentecost, with the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Past president of the Jamaica Council of Churches (JCC), Rev Newton Dixon said Easter is the “centrepiece” of Christian faith, and that the fundamental truth of Easter is the simple message that Jesus Christ has reconciled a broken and sinful humanity to God.

Dixon also said the new creation in Christ helps people to attain goodness in the world because Easter was the “breakthrough” for all.

“That message has tremendous relevance to our society and for our lives. The Easter message proclaims the fact that goodness of every kind is possible when we find our way back to God. I speak of goodness in various terms: ethical goodness, economic and social justice, peace and human dignity, and personal holiness and decency.

“So the message of Easter is not just for or about the Church — it is indeed a message for the world, its redemption and transformation through Christ Jesus. Living under the blessings of Easter means we can be better fathers to our children, we can build better communities for all — especially our weak and vulnerable siblings, we can have more just and conscientious leaders in governance, and we can be exemplary servants in the Church.”

This is possible, Dixon added, when we hear and heed God’s call which emanates from Easter. He explained that the message of Easter is not just about getting saved and ready to go to heaven, but also about living meaningful, responsible, and dignified lives in the here and now.

“Easter is predicated on the self-giving nature of God and sacrificial love of Jesus Christ. We learn from God in Christ to give of ourselves for the sake of others. This demands that we must re-examine how we treat each other. The plain truth is that we treat each other too bad; we seem to have incorporated bad treatment into our dealings with each other. Those of us who grew up in the last three decades will notice that we have made a fundamental shift in our human relations,” he told the Sunday Observer.

Dixon argued that here is “too much injustice, unfairness, one-upmanship, unkindness, incivility and coarseness in our social interactions”.

“So I call on our parents to show greater care for our children. I call on our fathers, in particular, to be more responsible for and attentive to their children. I call on employers to be fair to workers and not abrogate their rights or rob them of their benefits. I call on workers to give a fair day’s work and improve on their productivity. And I call on our Government to lead with justice and fairness, without bias or prejudice. All of this is a takeaway from Easter,” he said.