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Show \ \ y a a + , g : t F Ft \t t \ tt tr tPi Pi Pik k t B i @ f \ r \ w wkk @I kk kk4tg 4tg t\ t tk \ k r , . 5 f fif.x , . k kt * . if.x ifx ! 7 A n rY S Sr r o w x ' r . r a y'9R y9R ' s I The Faith FaithThat , ' ' ! That Life Ljfe Li'fe ' Is I I"IL s Stronger StrongerThe StrongerThan "IL IL " T Than Death 0 Death3JN I IjfN 7 ( jfN A spirit spirlt of solemn festh festival festhal al Iaster Eas Bas Ias : .lJ lJ ; . .lJter 3JN | tor ter ! Is s celebrated , commemorating commcmorntin commemoratingto ; to all nIl Christians Christulns the mincle mlr'lcle mlrlcle miraele ' 'lnd lnd and 'lndmystery andmystery ' indmystery mystery of Christ's Christs ' resurrection Its Itsseason Itsseason Itsseason season In the Northern hemisphere is isthe isthe Isthe the springtime of natures nature s rebirth rebtrth , n a nperennial aDerennlal aperennial perennial Derennlal drama of life hCe arising anew anewfrom anewfrom anewfrom from the death and dirkness d'J.rkness dJ.rkness dJrkness darkness ' . of win winter winter winter ter . The story of Scripture and the theTlslble therisible thevisible Tlslble risible wonder onder of the earth earths s trans transfiguration transSguratlon transfiguration figuration Sguratlon tell alike nlihe alihe of the triumph of oflife oflife oflife life 0\ 0 over 0er oler \ er death , , of hope's hopes ' victory over overdespair overdespair overdespair despair , of the dawn thit th'1t th1t that ' ends the thenight , night of doubt and waitingEaster waiting waitingEaster altlng altlngEaster Easter Is a n Christian festival festlval festivsl , but butaU butall butall aU all nations and peoples fiom flom from ancient ancienttimes ancienttimes ancienttimes times have acknowledged the symbolic symbolicsignificance symbolicsignificance symbolicsignificance significance of the coming of spring springraster : ; springEaster prmg prmgEaster Easter raster Itself Is hnl linked ed to forgotten forgottenceremonies forgottenceremonies forgottenceremonies ceremonies by which hlch the sun was "el el wel "elcorned welcorned " welcorned corned and the earth rededlcated rededicated to tobeauty tobeauty tobeauty beauty and fruitfulness This w " was as always always al always -ways ways - a mysterIt mysterv myster\ myster mystery \ " ; ; It Is still stllI a mystery mysteryand mysteryand mysteryand and a mar man el e1 , though man his h\s h s lias ' \ 1e'1rned 1e1rned learned learneda 1e'1rnede ' e a . little llttle knowledge and has made m\de m de ' \ the theseasons theseasons theseasons seasons his servants sermnts The flower that thattprings thatsprings thatsprings tprings springs ; from the seed . , the glory of ofgreen ofgreen ofgreen green thit th'lt thlt that ' sweeps the bills hll1s hills fn spring springtime springtime springtime time ar are manifest miracles Thev They Theyfortify Theyfortify fortlfv fortify and justify jl1stlfy the faith of thooe those thooewho thosewho thosewho ; who believe beUeve that on Easter Baster Laster mornlD morninga morning a stone , was ras rolled ro11ed awiv aw'lV awlV away ' from a asepul'Cher asepulcher aeepukher sepul'Cher sepulCher ' In Palestine Pale"tme Paletme " ind 'lnd lnd and ' death deatb wasfound wasfound was wasfound found vanquished In the tbe Resurrection nesurrectlOn * ' " * ' " * ' " . In the simple words that tell of the theearUest theearliest theearliest earUest earliest Easter , there Is evident ehJent elident e\ e \ hJent the the'Wonder thewonder thewonder 'Wonder Wonder ' of Its Itswltne'Ses Its witnesses wltne'Ses wltneSes ' and nnd the joy joywith joywith joywith with \ which hlch t'iey tiey t'lCY tlCY t'ley tley ' ' found their hopes hopescome hopescome hopescome come true For In the dirk d1rh dark hours of ofGethsemane ofGethsemane ofGethsemane Gethsemane ind 'lnd lnd and ' Gol Golgotha otha all aU se\med se med seamed seamedlost seamedlost ( \ . lost save sae sa\ sa \ e an oft repeated promise of ofresurrection ofresurrection ofresurrection resurrection , and hope alone wis W'lS WlS was ' left leftto leftto leftto to " warm "arm arm the heart of faith and gh give glove e it itcourage [ itcourage t tcourage courage But the promise W:1 W1 was : ' ) kept keptand keptand keptand and hope wis W'lS WlS was ' justified , and tlie the mil mfr mfracle miracle ' acle of Easter morning b"came bcame became b " came the cor cornerstone cornerstone cornerstone nerstone of Christlin Christhn Chrlstlan faith f31th and doc- doc doctrme doc-tnne doc tnne doctnneIn doctrine - - trme trine trmeIn trineIn In a more ancient story , wsritten'when "rlttenwhen " written "rltten rltten wsritten when 'when ' no legend lacked a me'l.nlng- mel.nlng me'l.nlng melnlng meaning me'l.nlnghope meininghope ' . - , hope wis W'lS WlS was ' the last gift of the gods to toa toa toa a world infested Infpsted with wlth evils e\lls e lls eeils \ and nnd sor sorrows sorrows sorrows rows And hope might hue h1\e h1 e home \ died and andleft andleft andleft left the world desolate were It not for forthe forthe forthe the promises made and kept with withevery withevery withevery every cycle of the seasons These Thesehave Thesehave Thesehave have nourished in all ages the faith faithwhich faithwhich faithwhich which Is 1s 'the the ' the assurance of things thingshoped thingsboped boped hoped for , the proving pro\lng pro lng \ of things not notseen notseen notseen seen " They have taught men to work workand workand workand and wait walt and trust In the future , to tol.eep tokeep toLcep l.eep leep keep . courage through d'lrl dlrl dirkness darkness ' nees : and anddoubt anddoubt anddoubt hippl-ness hippl ness happiness doubt , , to seek for new life and nnd h1ppl happi- happi - - ness , ness sufferingand , even In the presence of suffering sufferingand sufferingand and death . * . . . It has been said that Ulat the times ha\c ha c hale \ havetaught hacUtught haletaught Utught taught us again thealue the \ value \alue alue of faith and andthe the need for it it . . If this is : ; so co , , then thenthis this observed gear's gears sear'a seara ear'8 ear8 ' Easter " will 111 be wlde widely y yob ob observed observed served spiritFor In serious and thouglitful thoughtful spirit For dtscouragement these are time times ' ) of doubt and dlC dts discouraecment ) couraJement couragement and hope itself is mw \ \ e'1n e1n ears ' of vveirvof e'1nof earsof waiting for Cor light and leading leadmg leadingThe leadmgThe The modern man is perplexed perplexel1 "lth lth with " many withmany "lthmany problems , but those tint th'l.t thl.t thlt that ' . touch him touchhim closest . are old as humanity Itself itselfHe Itselflie itselfIIe lie IIe seeks sechs lifespurpose life Ufe s purpose and nnd Its destinm cstIm dcstinvHe cstImHe destinmHe He Is aware of his own b\\ b bewilderment bllderment ( . \ \ llderment and troubled by the sardonic sardoDlc certalnt\ certalnt certaints certaintyof certalntof certaintsof \ of death Life makes ma1.es ma1es . him many prom promIc.es promices promlies Ic.es Ices : . and asks much of his energy energ an and andambition andambition ambltlOn ambition , but gnnts gr'lDts grlDts grants ' no guarantees of ofpeace ofpeace ofpeace peace or prosperity prospelIt ) or happiness And Andhe Andhe Andhe he won wonders ers \ whether hether this is all a sorry sorryjest sorryjest sorryjest jest , a pointless prank of fate , an In IncJdent inctdent Incident cJdent ctdent of the restlessness restlesness ' ) of life upon upona a little planet , , ; spinning opmnmg aimlessly from iron fromnowhere fromnowhere , nowhere into nothingness * . * ' " . The Christian ChretIm [ : : : finds a sudiclent sufilclent suGrclent an answer ansaver answer swer saver in the significance of Easter Laster morn mornIng mornlog morning Ing log ' The foundition found'ltlon foundltlon foundation ' of his faith Is Isthe isthe isthe the promise of resurrection and nnd its su supreme supreme supreme preme fulfillment in the risen Chrlst Christ Christ'But ChristBut * ' nut But the question ql1estlon is ol older kr < than Clms Chris Clmstlanly Christianify Christianly tlanly tianify { and its answer as old as the thee"erlastlng theeverlasting theeverlasting e\"erlastlng e "erlastlng erlastlng everlasting \ " hills hms and the seasons seasons"hldl seasonswhich seasonswhich "hldl hldl which " visit them Life Lfe [ Is stronger strongerthan strongerthan strongerthan than death eath and Is fore\ fore forever foreer foreser \ er rene\\ rene renewed reneed \ ed In Injoy injoy Injoy joy an and loveliness Dirkness D'J.rhness DJ.rhness DJrhness Darkness ' . prom promIses promtses Ises tses the dawn da"D daD " , winter gives way to tospring tospring tospring spring and summer Tlie The past mav may be beforgotten beforgotten beforgotten forgotten ; ; the time future is worth walUng waiting walUngand waitingand waitingand and " working "orhlng orhlng ssorking forror forFor for forFor For ror e\ e every eery \ ery fio flower " er of or spring declares declaresthat declaresthat declaresthat that nature Is no pessimist and has hasJ.ept haskept haskept J.ept Jept kept . her promises since the world worldbegan worldbegan worldbegan began And mm m'ln mln man ' , who Is by birth a child childof childof childof of livinglesson Uvlnglesson nature , may learn from this Uvlng living g lesson to deny [ his hs 0 own " n doubts dOQbts and andheep andkeep andkeep d heep keep his courage courag'e ' for the work before beforebm beforehim beforehim beforehimTo e bm him himTo [ To Bring BrlOg ' ' an Easter Srmle Smile SrmleIn SmileIn SrniloIn In northern Euiope Lmope Europe , many muny peacants peasant peacantsshll peasantstill peasantsstill ; s shll still greet one another WI with tll the cr cry crv , , Christ 'Chr1c.t Chr1c.t Chr1ct 'Christ ' : . is risen nsen " Tlie The an answer wer comes ( comes'lie comeslie omes , , 'lie lie 'He He ' is risen , . , Indeed " Then 'Ihen Ihen 'then ' colored Laster Easter coloredEaster coloredLaster Sometimes eggs are exchanged c\changed c changed ' \ Some times jol jokes e'5 e5 ' told ' are to Induce an 'Eas Eas 'Easto 'Eistcr Eistcr 1s 1str ' tr to ( smile smlle " ' |