The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1911-04-13
SIGNIFICANCE OF
EASTER SUNDAY

At that time Mary Magdalen and
Mary the mother of James and Salome
brought sweet spices, that coming they
might anoint Jesus. And very early
in the morning the first day of the
week they came to the sepulchre, the
sun being now risen. And they said
one to another: Who shall roll us back
the stone from the door of the sepul-
chreg And looking they saw the stone
rolled back; for it was very great.
And entering into the sepulchre they
saw a young man sitting on the right
side, clothed with white robe, and
they were astonished. Who sayeth to
them: Be not afrighted; you seek
Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucifed.
He is risen. He is not here; behold
the place where they laid Him. But
60 tell His diciples and Peter that
There you shall see him as he told you.
The gospel, as understood by the av-
erage Christian, explains the signifi-
of Christ from the dead After
He goeth before you into Galilee;
cance of Easter, as "the resurrection
of Chist from the dead. After
Christ our Lord expired on the cross
on the 9th day and 9th hour of the
day and was buried on the evening of
the same day by His disciples, who,
by permission of the Governor Plate,
laid the body of the Lord, when taken
down from the cross, in a new monu-
ment in a garden near at hand His
soul was reunited to his body, very
early in the morning of the third day
after His DEATH which was the Lord 3
day; and He who had been dead dur
ing those threee days,returning to life,
which dying he had relinquished, and
rose again. This is the sum total of
the Christian s belief in regard to
Easter, and it's solemn celebration
commentaries the great event and re-
produces il, with all its touching and
tragic circumstances, with freshness
and a meaning quite similar to what
it had for the wondering multitudes
1000 years ago.
The resurrection of Christ from the
dead is the foundation stone of all
Christian belief. To repudiate this un-
eontrovertible fact would be the death
blow of all Christian teaching, reduc-
ing Christianity to a mere fable. By
the word resurrection, is not merely to
be understood that Christ was raised
from the dead, which was common
with Him to many others, but that He
rose by His own power and virtue,
which was peculiar to Him alone; for
it is incompatible with nature nor was
it given to any man, as the whole his
tory OF the human race testifies, to be
able by his own power to recall him
self from death to life This was re-
served exclusively for the supreme
power of God, as we understand from
these words of the apostle: Although
He was crucified through weakness,
yet He iveth by the power of God. !"
e Corinthians, XITI4). Christ IS pow
er is clearly understood also from st.
John KIT, and following: 81 Law
down my life that / may take it again;
and | have power to lay it down, and
have power to take it again.
Easter Sunday then is to Chistian
a day of profound significance and re-
joicing. All over the world in every
land is echoed and reechoed this beau
tiful invitation: "Let us be glad and
rejoice, for this is the day the Lord
has made SO firm was st. Paul g
belief in the resurrection that he gave
expression to the conviction "That
if Christ be not risen from the dead,
then is our preaching vain, and your
faith also in vain.'' Sooner could a
man in the apostles opinion, "tear
the light from Heaven, or dry up the
ocean" than shake the faith of mil
lions in the important dogma of re-
ligious belief, for upon it, as the build
ing on its foundation, rests every ar
tiele of Christian faith, yesterday, to-
day and forever.
Bells peal out their music of joy
over oceans and continents on Easter
Sunday morning, and these joyous
notes Of Heavenly praise will be ac-
companied by the spiritual resurrec-
tion of millions on this day from the
bonds of sin to the glorious inheritance
of the Children of God. 1t was to those
who follow in Christ IS footsteps He
wished the Holy women in the gospel
to understand as his disciples, whom
they were to announce, "He is risen;
He is not here. But 60 tell His dis
seiples and Peter that He goeth before
you into Galilee, there you shall find
Him as He told you.
REV. JEROME J. ENRIGHT.