A day for rebirth

Christians of all religions marked Easter Sunday, the holiest day on the Christian calendar, when the faithful believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

Among the many congregations in the area celebrating the occasion was St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on North Brand Boulevard. The gothic-style church, with its ornate, stained-glass windows and vaulted ceilings, was full for a festal procession and service held at mid-morning.

Altar servers and the Canterbury Choir led Father Mark Weitzel through the church, as incense filled the air and holy water was sprinkled through the crowd by Weitzel.

Then, with the choir singing “Gloria In Excelsis Deo” and a brass quartet accompanying the music, Weitzel presided over the opening of the triptych, an ornate, three-paneled painting at the head of the altar depicting a scene from the resurrection.

Bells were rung throughout the church as the triptych opened.

Easter is the most striking example of the many second chances at redemption granted to man by God, said Weitzel, citing scripture.

“These began with creation, the fall of Adam and Eve, the story of Cain and Abel, and so it went on and on, until the world was riddled with evil and God made the world anew after the flood,” said Weitzel, who gave as further examples the tearing down and rebuilding of the ancient temple in Jerusalem, and the story of Jonah being swallowed by the whale, after which he is given a second chance to heed the word of God, according to the Bible.

But the second chance represented by Christ’s resurrection as told in the Gospels is perhaps the most important of all, said Weitzel, because it assures believers of a life after death.

“To think you will never have a second chance to say or do the things you have to do can be utterly devastating,” he said. “But on Easter, Christ has conquered death. He has come to us a second time, and that is the good news of the Gospel. Humanity has a new founder in Christ, and a guarantee that there will be no end of story to his people, even in death.”

While the beautiful music and pageantry of Easter services are big draws to Helen Hand, she said the central reason for the celebration is the story of Jesus’ rebirth.

“Christ is risen and he has given us eternal life, and that is something to be glorified,” said Hand, a member of the St. Mark’s congregation.

Sarah Croft, a flight attendant from Chicago who flew back to her native Glendale to be with her family, was content to mark the occasion by baby-sitting her niece in the church courtyard as the service took place.

“This is what it is all about,” Croft said.

“Being with family, tradition, having Easter hunts with my nieces. It is great.”