he importance of Easter to Christians cannot be understated.

After all, the festival commemorates the day that Jesus rose from the dead, conquering death and offering eternal salvation to all for all time.

But it’s in times like these, that I think that the Easter story offers some consolation to those who may not even consider themselves Christian.

Because even if you don’t fully believe that God’s son was tortured, executed and returned from the dead some 2,000 years ago, solace can still be found in the events that took place that first Holy Week.

You don’t have to be Christian to understand the importance of Good Friday, the day on which it is told that Jesus was hung from a cross and later died.

Good Friday is a universal symbol of all of the darkest times that haunt every single one of us. Because there are few who get through this life without experiencing some kind of soul-crushing pain, whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a life-changing medical diagnosis or some other trauma that leaves us feeling empty.

Further, I believe that the liminal three day period between Good Friday and Easter also can be universally understood as that time between when something upends your world, leaving you feeling adrift, and the time when you make it through to the other side of the storm. It’s a time when it can feel that nothing will ever be good again, and there is a temptation to hold onto despair.

But then there is the promise of Easter, the day that Jesus’ followers found the tomb empty, demonstrating to us that the sin and evil of this world will never have the final say. Rather, Jesus conquered those dark powers here on earth and offers us all a joyful eternity in the company of his father.

And as before, I believe that even if you are not Christian, you are familiar with the potential for resurrection and what Easter stands for: the potential to overcome major setbacks, the possibility of healing and the chance to live again after heartbreak.

As a Christian, I don’t have to sell you on the idea that two millenia ago, a half human, half divine son of God died on a cross and rose again to save your life. Because I think each of us is capable of knowing the intrinsic value of the Easter celebration.

We all will experience our own Good Fridays; some far more than others. But Easter’s good news tells us there will be a new day, that resurrection is possible.

And that’s not a Christian story. That is a universal story, and I would welcome everyone into that divine mystery this Easter Sunday.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Amen!

Devlyn Brooks is the interim CEO of Churches United in Moorhead, and an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America serving Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. He blogs about faith at findingfaithin.com, and can be reached at devlynbrooks@gmail.com.