What if…Easter?
At some point, creative people will grow tired of telling the same stories over and over. This is why maintaining a solid franchise is so hard. Does anyone but the hardcore fans really want to see Terminator 7 in theatres? At some point, we all understand the main characters, the setting, the challenges, and, ultimately, how the story will end. Creative people get excited about new ways of telling new tales, not rehashing old storylines.
In the early 1980s, Stan Lee and the writers at Marvel met that challenge by creating a separate anthology of stories that allowed them to explore ideas that were different than the mainstream canon of Marvel's known adventures. Stories that allowed them to change fundamental aspects of well-known characters, settings, and outcomes. That series was called "What If?" For example, one published issue was titled "What if Doctor Doom Became a Hero?" Another great example was "What If Spider-Man Had Rescued Gwen Stacy?" These tales followed a format that involved an all-seeing storyteller, The Watcher, who would break the fourth wall and speak directly to the reader, telling them that he knows they are aware of how a particular episode of a hero's life played out but then offering a chance to look at an alternate universe where that hero's path went in a different direction. For example, a well-known character like Spiderman would be featured in the story’s introduction. The Watcher would then ask the reader, "What If Spiderman's Uncle Ben had lived?” together, the reader and the Watcher would observe the path of the main character to answer the question "What if?". These chronicles allowed comic book writers to color outside the lines, throw out rule books, and write innovative storylines. Readers may or may not like the results, but no one could argue that the stories could have been more creative.
As a Christian, I experience Easter as an opportunity to look at the world around me and ask myself questions like, "What if things don't need to be this way? Can all those who are poor be lifted out of poverty? Does the human race need to continue destroying each other and the planet? What if everyone has access to God and death isn't the end?"
The cannon storyline states, "Yes, nothing should change. This is how the world works; no, the poor are this way, and there's nothing that can be done about it. Violence and destruction are parts of life; we don't need to like them; we just need to accept them. Oh, and yes, there is nothing beyond death. Death gets the last word, but if you follow the right rules, some of you may have access to life."
The life of Jesus challenged the violence and injustice embedded into humanity's storyline. His answer was
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
19 and that the time of the Lord's favor has come.[a]" -Luke 4:18-19
What's good news for the poor? The good news is that those with much will share with those who have less to the point where no one will be called poor. What happens to those trapped in systems of injustice? The system that holds you is going to break. Those living in fear? They'll be shown they don't need to live in fear. As we know from the scriptures in the Bible, the stakeholders of the old storyline hated everything about his message. Those stakeholders were Religion and Power. These two are often different sides of the same coin.
These forces conspired together to have Jesus humiliated, tortured, and executed in the worst way conjured up from the darkest places in the human imagination. Jesus was crucified, and it appeared the day's storyline would remain intact. The story where the weak challenged power…and lost.
And then, something happened… The story changed, and the world was transformed forever.
I’m now speaking for myself, but the story of Jesus’ resurrection requires me to ask this question. “What if you truly believe in the power of Easter? How does your story play out?”
At the end of the day, people really know what I believe based on how I live.
What if?
What if Easter is real?
If it’s real, then I can live with courage rather than out of fear.
If Easter is real, I can trust in a God who’s made life available to everyone. Easter is more than an invitation for me to enjoy a personal relationship with God. It extends much further. It’s a hope that is galactic in nature.
If Easter is real then I need to align my way of life in a way that waters the seeds of hope.
I’ll end by saying that Easter is much more than a “What if?” It’s more like… “It is.”
I believe that the power of the resurrection is true, and I’m committed to making the power of a new and hopeful reality available to everyone.
My family and I wish you all a happy Easter.
As we say in the faith, “He is risen!”