Easter: A celebration of the Resurrection and of renewal

Stacy J. Willis

Friday, April 21, 2000 | 9:47 a.m.

Ed Bendlin struggled for years with drug and alcohol abuse.

He ended up unemployed and homeless in Las Vegas and started standing in line at the Rescue Mission for soup.

"I had lost everything," Bendlin, 42, said. "But at the Rescue Mission, I was given a bed and meals, and there were counselors, so I started the road back."

This year Bendlin, a Christian, will celebrate three years of sobriety. He has a job at a casino, a home, and now he volunteers at the mission to help other homeless people.

His turn-around is the kind of renewal Christians associate with Easter, the celebration of Jesus Christ's resurrection.

Christians will celebrate Easter this Sunday.

According to Biblical history, Jesus of Nazareth was crucified by the Romans and three days later arose from the dead.

His resurrection is regarded as authentication of his role as the Son of God and revealer of the kingdom of God, as well as a call to spread his spiritual teachings.

Over the years Easter celebrations have become known for symbols less apparently related to Christ's resurrection, such as the Easter Bunny and Easter eggs.

Eggs are viewed generally as a symbol of new life. Although they are most readily associated with the Christian holiday, they were also a part of spring festivities in ancient civilizations. Then, farmers buried roasted eggs in their fields believing that the eggs' symbolic fertility would bring plentiful crops. Children often sneaked into the fields and dug them up, creating the ritual of the Easter egg hunt.

The Easter Bunny appears in folklore later. One version of the Easter Bunny legend arises from a tale of a poor woman who could not afford gifts for her children on Easter. The woman painted boiled eggs bright colors as gifts and hid them under a bush. Later, the children discovered that a bunny had nestled up with the eggs, and they believed the bunny had laid the eggs.

Easter celebrations vary widely depending on the Christian congregation. Some Las Vegas churches will hold traditional sunrise services.

Rescue Mission's staff and volunteers will serve a full meal to the homeless at 2 p.m. More than 200 people are expected to be served.

Stacy J. Willis covers religion for the Sun. She can be reached at (702) 259-4011 or by e-mail at willis@lasvegassun.com