Technically speaking, Easter is the biggest, most important, holiest of the Holy Days for Christians. For good reason– Easter is the celebration of the Resurrection, when Christ conquered death and threw open the gates of Heaven.
And yet. . . by practice, most Christians throw a lot more effort in to Celebrating Christmas. The Calendar was recalculated based on the Birth, not the Resurrection. The Crucifixion and Resurrection are what seals the story for the rest of time– but the order of time altered 33 years before that. The nativity is cherished not because it was the victory, but because against all of our flawed despairings, God kept His promise.
As a people, we’ve forgotten what life was like before the promise was kept. We try– JRR Tolkien one mentioned that he created Middle Earth to show what a world in need of a Christ would be like. Even when our lives are at their worst, they are still illuminated by that Star.
Tonight’s selection also tries to remind us of what things were like, just before Christmas.