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Full of festivity, Easter is that time of year when the joy of rebirth is evoked across the spectrum of our existence — the joy of spring when the Earth awakens to new life after the sleepy somnolence of winter, the joy of recreation after months of hard work (just ask any school kid), the joy of Resurrection — when Christ triumphed over death.

The diverse denominations of Christianity in Naples may differ on their interpretation of Scripture, but all agree upon the significance of Easter. Here are a few interpretations from local churches.

“Obviously, Easter is our greatest day of celebration,” said Rev. Tim Neptune, pastor at First Baptist Church of Marco Island. “In reality, we celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ every Sunday, but Easter is the most special Sunday of the year. The music is always the best. The worship is always the best. Everyone looks forward to it.”

Although Lent is not part of the Easter experience at First Baptist, Palm Sunday typically is. “It’s the day of Jesus’ triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem,” Rev. Neptune explained, referring to the multiple services on Easter morning, beginning with a sunrise service, and again at 9 and 10:30 a.m. “The Easter service is a much bigger production with lighting, sound and video,” he continued. “The Resurrection proves that Jesus is God. He predicted that he would die, that he would be in the tomb for three days. This is the deity of Jesus Christ. He did what he said he was going to do. He’s coming back again one day. The Resurrection just puts an exclamation mark on everything that he said, because he demonstrated it.”

Throughout Christian culture, Easter is considered the penultimate validation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. But the word itself is of ironic derivation.

“The thing that’s forgotten in the West is that Easter is actually a pagan term,” said the Rev. Fr. Johannes Jacobse (Fr. Hans, for short) of St. Katherine Greek Orthodox Church in Naples. “It’s actually the Pascha — the Death and Resurrection of Christ as the Son of God — the ultimate Passover. Easter entered the vernacular via Germany in the Middle Ages.

“Just as the Angel of Death passed over Jews and Egyptians alike — those who sprinkled the blood of their firstborn, unblemished lamb on their doorposts, securing their deliverance from bondage in the land of Egypt to the Promised Land — so too, Christ delivered us from death, through his own innocence and death on a cross.

“From the prophet John the Baptist, we first hear Jesus being identified as the unblemished lamb. ‘Behold the Lamb of God,’ he tells us. There is direct correspondence here,” Fr. Hans said, referring to the precedence of Passover in the narrative context. “It also was a prefiguring of the cross. It was instructed that the blood of the unblemished lamb was to be sprinkled at three points,” he said, getting up from his desk and gesturing to the three-point significance of the sign of the cross at the top and either side of the door frame leading into his office.

“His death on the cross was completely voluntary. The sentence of death was not on Christ because he never broke any dictates of Mosaic Law, so his death on the cross was completely voluntary. He did it himself by voluntarily making the ultimate sacrifice — just like the unblemished lamb, whose blood saved the people from slavery. He dies for us, rises from the dead, and the hold — the bondage — that death has over us is broken. Even the crossing of the Red Sea serves the narrative further as we embrace Baptism.”

Rich iconic imagery can be seen throughout all Greek Orthodox Churches and the church in Naples is no exception. Central to its altar is the Crucified Christ, flanked by his apostles, disciples and saints. But imagery is not necessarily consistent throughout the breadth of Christian belief. At the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Naples, imagery is non-existent.

According to Christian Science Practitioner David Kennedy, the emphasis is on practicing the Word of God and incorporating it into the sustained stride of belief.

“We believe everything about Jesus, Kennedy said. “He allowed himself to be crucified. It was proof of everything he had taught — that God is really our life. That proof was really necessary for his disciples. His Resurrection was the crowning proof of all he taught — that God really is the life of all of us — this is indestructible. It was a huge spiritual event, a timeless, irrefutable proof for the world.

“We don’t observe Good Friday in any way, but certainly we have a deep appreciation for his willingness to undergo this for us. He was tried, beaten, whipped, mocked, spat upon; it was horrible,” Kennedy continued. “The fact that he was willing to do this, to give humanity this proof … we have a deep appreciation and love for Jesus — that he did this in order to show us the way of life throughout his career — his three years of ministry. We recognize the Crucifixion as necessary. His time in Gethsemane — when he asks his Father, ‘If it be possible let this cup pass from me, nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done.’ It was one of a deep struggle, a deep, deep struggle.

“The (church) services help because we are all together. They are given by two readers,” he explained. “The main part of the service begins with the Golden Text, consisting of citations and a sermon. The Bible verse coordinates with “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” (authored by founder Mary Baker Eddy) as aids to understanding.

“The message of Easter is deeply important,” he said. “We try to put it into practice every day by incorporating it in what we say and do. We feel that self-sacrifice — the putting off the old man and putting on the new man — is our ongoing work. “We strive to let go of the traits of our mortality that contradict and obscure our real nature, day-by-day, moment-by-moment.

As an example, Kennedy cites practicing patience and charity if one is inclined to anger. “It’s identifying that which is not in accord with one’s real nature as God’s child and to let go of it by putting on the qualities of love, forgiveness and patience that Christ taught by example.”

At the Moorings Presbyterian Church in Naples, the Easter Season begins with Lent. “We celebrate the testimony of Scripture as the fulcrum of our faith — the high and holy moment of Christ’ victory over death, explained Rev. Dr. Chuck Cary, pastor. “All of the Gospels in some way bear testimony of his defeat over death. He overcame all opposition, climaxing with his Resurrection.”

Although the multi-million dollar renovation that was inaugurated last December has required some adjustment, Rev. Carey sees it as an opportunity for new growth. “We’re just living into the reality of the new sanctuary — discovering what it means — gaining new inspiration,” he said. “I say that joyfully. We received it like a Christmas gift.”

The magnificence of the modern, state-of-the-art structure is seen not as a monument or an end in itself, rather “an act of mission and ministry.” At the sanctuary dedication last month, Rev. Cary clarified it in this way:

“Why do I say this? I say this because a new building project (of another kind) awaits us — building a people with a more visible profile in Naples and Collier County. The text from Peter says it all. The church is never a building alone. It is forever a people, ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a Holy Nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.’ This is as good a time as any to remind one another that the original definition of the word church, “ecclesia,” is ‘people who are called out.’ The building should make that call happen. It should never get in the way.”

Another dimension intrinsic to the new space is imagery that has been exempted from the Presbyterian perspective. One such example, that of the Crucified Christ, can be found in the stained glass windows adorning the sanctuary. “Over the last 20 years, a convergence has evolved,” Rev. Cary explained.

“Protestants have developed a greater appreciation of the Christian year. We’ve become more keenly aware of it than we have in the past, more in tune with special events that are part of it. Advent is now more prominent in the Christmas cycle, as is Lent — beginning with the Ash Wednesday service — in the Easter cycle. “Lent illuminates the meaning of Christ’s life; the 40 Days he fasted, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, His Seven Last Words. The Easter Vigil begins the culmination,” he said.

At San Marco Catholic Church, due to the dramatic impact of seasonal shifts on the congregation, it is common practice to employ retired priests who winter in Florida from northern climes and make themselves available through the Diocese of Venice. Rev. Eugene Gunning from the Diocese of Scranton and Rev. Vytas Memenas, from the Diocese of Jolliet, have become instrumental attributes to the parish, serving at Masses that otherwise would have gone unstaffed.

“I’m ‘rent-a-priest,’” Fr Gunning, 78, said with his characteristic Irish wit. “Just when you think you’re being put out to pasture because of your age, you realize you’re not so old after all. I enjoy driving down from Bonita and helping out Fr. Tim (pastor of San Marco).”

For seasonal resident John Van Beckum, encountering what he calls the “elder statesmen of the priesthood” is something akin to enlightenment. “To hear them preach a sermon is like going back to my childhood, Van Beckum said. “You suddenly realize that everyone else is also riveted on their every word. The passion of their oratory brings to light nuances in our faith that, at least for me, have eluded me. I come away feeling like I’ve had a mini-retreat during this Lenten season. It’s great that Fr. Tim welcomes them, because their presence is so deep and enduring.”

When Fr. Gunning speaks on Lent, he is quick to situate it in the broader context of the history of the world: “It begins with the Divine Decision to create the world, advances to the Virgin Mary’s impregnation by the Holy Spirit, and concludes with Jesus rising from the dead. This is the essence of Easter, but it’s important that we prepare ourselves through practice and this is why Lent is so important.

“Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the 40 Days when we commit ourselves to journey with Christ in anticipation of his Resurrection. The reason we must prepare for it is so it doesn’t just hit us. Just like Advent, when we prepare for the Birth of Christ, so too we prepare ourselves for Christ’s ultimate victory, His triumph over death, Fr. Gunning continued.

“With the right attitude, we joy in acts of sacrifice because it is in this way that we are drawn deeper into our relationship with Christ. We want to emulate his character. We subject ourselves to the taste of self-denial that lies at the heart of his teaching. Jesus knew what he was up against when he rode into Jerusalem, but that didn’t stop his joy. Lent is about looking more closely in how we identify our relationship to Jesus. It’s about re-energizing our eagerness to be like him and to walk closer with him.

“On Palm Sunday, we re-enact that triumphant moment as we set out to personally accompany Jesus into Jerusalem and continue with him throughout the days of Holy Week. We are there with him at the Last Supper when he institutes the Eucharist (Holy Communion) on Holy Thursday, we are there at his betrayal, His agony in the Garden when he anticipates his fate so vividly that he sweats blood, we meditate on his scourging, his crowning with thorns, his Crucifixion (on Good Friday). We enter the tomb on Holy Saturday.

“But then comes his victory, Fr. Gunning reminded. “It doesn’t come out of thin air. It has been building within us during these 40 sacrificial days of our personal journey; some of them more successful than others, perhaps. It matures within us. And we grow in grace and wisdom because of our participation,” said Fr. Gunning.

Van Beckum recalls one particular sermon preached by Fr. Vytas because of its utter simplicity. “He asked, ‘What are we doing here? What are we here for?’ I wasn’t certain what the answer was, but he illuminated it in five words: ‘To give glory to God.’ That essence had never really occurred to me, he said. “Of course, everything else flows from that, beginning with showing true concern for one another through all the ways possible, like kindness, respect, forgiveness, patience, etc.; and further, by putting emphasis on concern for the poor, the suffering, the dying, the unborn who have no one to defend them in the face of abortion. He instructed so succinctly that the priority is not by our lips but the way we live our lives.”

If you ask Rev. Kyle Bennett, pastor at St. Mark’s Episcopal on Marco Island, about the significance of Easter, he’ll ponder a moment before describing the enormity in terms of education. “Hmmm, this is at least a class or two, he said. “It’s really the crowning of our worship and understanding of our entire Christian faith, culminating at Holy Communion on Easter Sunday. It brings fulfillment, the atonement of Christ on the cross in fulfillment of our ultimate salvation, which for us is manifested in all being welcome around the Communion table.”

Rev. Bennett likens Lent to the importance of preparing for a trip. “If we’re going on a ski trip, we’re not going to be any good on the mountain if we haven’t gotten ourselves in shape by exercising and eating right, he said. “In the same way, we prepare for Easter through a personal commitment — to do something different in relation to God.

This year, Holy Week at St. Mark’s will begin at the site of the new labyrinth, a sacred space presently being constructed on the church campus by parishioners, who have advocated for this vision for the last two years.

“When pilgrimages to the Holy Land became too dangerous during the 12th century, labyrinths were created in an effort to experience mini pilgrimages, places of prayer that allowed the faithful to enter a sacred space and make a metaphorical journey of prayer, Rev. Bennett explained. “Thanks to co-chairs, Susan Darrow and Cathy Weis, this vision is soon to be complete. We’ll begin Palm Sunday at the site and process with our palms into the church. And on Easter morning, we will hold services there. We want the public to know that all are invited to journey there.”

Drawing on the chorus of voices who speak for the great phenomenon of Easter, its cyclical theme of death and resurrection serves as a metaphor for our own journey through life. Encouragement lies at the heart of the Easter story, beckoning us to dive deeper, to strive higher, in fulfillment of our divine destiny — so dearly won.

However Neapolitans choose to celebrate Easter, or not, it continues to plan an important roll in keeping Christians in touch with their faith.