As I reflect on a quiet morning, gazing out our front window with snoozing dogs close by, I have moments to reflect on the nature of this unique day.

A few moments ago, I finished a contemplative piece by an extremely bright and lucid writer I follow, which put me in the mood to write, myself. I don’t always agree with this man (who seems to be equally accomplished in his deep understanding of most of the major forces and themes that define us as at this time) but I agree with him more often than not and I never go away without learning something. That’s worth a lot, these days.

After a long preamble in which he made observations about what it is like to live in this current situation, he segued into the true object of his piece, the day we call Easter.

He writes, “To say that the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection is unlikely is to be far too generous. It is preposterous. It is absurd.”

He’s right.

For Christians, this is the most important day of the year, even more important than Christmas, which might come as news to non-Christians. It is the hinge upon which all of reality is fastened. The one true God just doesn’t become a man, come to save the world and then die horribly … only to raise from the tomb, saying all sorts of preposterous things.

No one who wanted to start a religion would ever make this up. Gods are not weak and vulnerable. Men do not claim to actually be God in a way that convinces dozens, then hundreds, then thousands, then millions, then billions of people that one actually is. There is no other belief system in all of history that makes any such claim.

As the writer said, and I agree, the story is preposterous.

No wonder so many doubt! Even believing Christians struggle with the enormity of it all, should they be honest.

No wonder the story is dismissed and even laughed off as a fairy tale, a myth, even a purposeful deception as a kind of power-grab.

I think it’s rather simple when you cut away at it. Of course it’s preposterous.

But, is it true?

If it’s not true, then billions of people over time have been deceived, misguided, and are left with an abyss, as the core of their beings has been exposed as a falsehood, thereby destroying not only their identify but the foundation for much of contemporary civilization.

They are left with something akin to that massive tree in the forest that, struck viciously by lightning, is now a lifeless hulk, blackened and desolate.

On the other hand, if it is true, it really did happen and Jesus was and is who he said, then we have no alternative but to be on our knees. The magnitude of that is staggering.

Preposterous and true, simultaneously.

Easter in America, as I recently wrote, is basically a children’s day. Pastel colors, storybook rabbits and bunnies, painted eggs, laughter, food and (hopefully) cheery good moments with friends and family. The adults, like at Christmas, look at the day through children’s eyes and they smile with glad hearts. It is a happy day.

But, to most believing Christians who profess to follow Jesus, this is Resurrection Day, a day to celebrate a preposterous miracle (that’s a redundancy, of course, because all miracles are preposterous!) and it is met not just with happiness but with pure joy.

It is a joy that explodes in the heart and mind. It is a joy that refreshes the weary soul, that brings hope and healing to whatever brokenness has grabbed hold of our current situation. It is a joy that is but a small drip in a vast ocean when compared with what awaits. But, make no mistake, that joy is life-sustaining in its magnitude here and now.

To my friends who might be reading this but are suspicious of the claims of the story, I understand and respect your doubts. I wish you wisdom and strength in your search for the truth.

To my friends and family who, despite the preposterous claims of the story, are convinced of its truth,

He is risen.

God Bless one and all.