Happy Endings?
The Hollywood ending is a happy ending. Fairy tales end on a happy note of “and they lived happily ever after.” We like happy endings way more than unhappy endings. We want the hero to get the girl, the bad guy to get what he deserves, and everyone to live happily ever after. It’s just the way it is.
Angelina Jolie’s character, Jane Smith, from the movie “Mr. And Mrs. Smith” says what the movies quite often don’t say. She says, “Happy endings are just stories that haven’t finished yet.”
Easter is not about an ending. It isn’t about how the story ends. The Easter story isn’t about the disciples disappointment turning to joy or their tears turning to cheers. Easter is about a new beginning. Easter is about a happy beginning.
We go forward from the old story where death has the final word, to a story where life has the final word. It is a great big, brand new story that will never end. By thinking of Easter as a new beginning we open the door to more enduring joy throughout our days, months and years.
“He is risen!” Is not the shout of joy just before the ending credits. It is the shout that fills the screen at the beginning of the movie.
He is risen! What a great way to start a story.