Happy Easter

Tomorrow is Easter. While I write mostly from a Buddhist or Zen perspective, I was raised Lutheran and so offer these thoughts for this holiday.

In Romans Chapter 12, St. Paul writes, "It is by grace you are saved, through faith. It is not of yourselves. It is a gift of God."

What he is saying here is that Jesus died for our sins. We could never keep all of the law, but as God, Jesus was able to do that. Because he made the ultimate sacrifice, none of us has to try and live up to the law of the old testament. If we did, we'd all still be observing Passover, a very different holiday--and to those who are observing I wish you a good holiday as well.

Today in our world, we are often condemned as being un-Christian for a host of offenses, most of which are based in old testament law. Christianity is not about the law, but about Jesus Christ. Our savior was about peace and love. This is a universal religion. All the great spiritual leaders, including Buddha, teach that we are to love everyone and be at peace. If we could recognize that, we'd have a lot more peace in our world.